WiC 


STOR1 


MARY  CATHERINE  JUDD 


Copyright,  1H01,  by  Ginn  &  Company 

SE-QUOYAH,  THE  INDIAN  SCHOLAR 

Original  Painting  by  Angel  de  Cora  (Hinook-mahiwi-kilinaka) 


UIWI-  STORIES 

TOLD -BY -NORTH 
AMERICAN  •  INDIANS 


COMPILED  •  BY  *+4 

MARYCATHERINE-JUDD 

WITH -ILLUSTRATIONS  -BY 
ANGEL  de  CORA 

(HINGOK-  MAHIWI  •  KILINAKR) 


BOSTON  -U-S  -A 

GINN  •&•  COMPANY 
ATHEN/EUM  •  PRESS 

19O4 


ENTERED  AT  STATIONERS'  HALL, 


COPYRIGHT,  1901 
BY  MARY  CATHERINE  JUDD 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


PREFACE 

HHHESE  stories,  told  by  and  about  the  Indians,  have 
been  gathered  from  various  sources.  They  show, 
among  other  interesting  facts,  that  the  love  of  the 
beautiful,  and  also  of  the  humorous,  dwells  in  the 
heart  of  the  wild  Indian. 

There  are  no  adaptations  from  Longfellow's  poem 
of  Hiawatha,  but  the  compiler  has  gone  directly  to 
the  works  of  Schoolcraft,  whose  writings  were  Long 
fellow's  inspiration.  Schoolcraft' s  Journal  states  his 
belief  that  Menabozho  and  Hiawatha  were  one  and 
the  same  person,  the  latter  name  being  preferred  as 
more  musical.  Hence,  Longfellow  chose  it  as  the 
name  of  his  Indian  hero. 

Horatio  Hale  and  other  authorities  on  Iroquois 
history  differ  strongly  from  Schoolcraft  on  this  point, 
and  maintain  that  the  name  of  Hiawatha,  or  Hey- 
anwatha,  refers  only  to  an  Iroquois  statesman  or 

deity. 

Menabozho,  or  The  Foolish  One,  is  very  real  to  the 
Chippewa  or  Ojibway  Indian  of  Minnesota,  The  various 


iii 


iv  PEEFACE 

names  of  Missaba,  Mesaba,  Michabo  are  merely  English 
or  French  renderings  of  the  same  Algonquin  word. 

The  later  stories  herein  told,  that  were  gathered  from 
the  Chippewas  in  1895,  1896,  and  1900,  prove  their 
unchanging  love  for  the  tales  of  this  imaginary  hero. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  very  interesting  pictures 
on  pages  17,  43,  53,  55,  89,  100,  173,  and  188,  which 
are  from  photographs  taken  by  George  Wharton  James, 
of  Pasadena,  CaL,  the  noted  authority  upon  Indian 
life  and  basketry.  The  copyrighted  pictures  on  pages 
43  and  55  are  used  in  this  book  with  his  special 
permission. 

In  addition  to  the  numerous  illustrations  from  photo 
graphs,  Miss  Angel  de  Cora,  a  young  Indian  artist  of 
great  promise,  has  contributed  three  full-page  sketches, 
the  cover  design,  and  numerous  initials  and  designs. 
The  pictorial  features,  therefore,  reproduce  with  un 
usual  fidelity  the  atmosphere  of  Indian  life. 

MARY  CATHERINE  JUDD. 


NOTE.  In  answer  to  inquiries  the  compiler  desires  to  state  that 
according  to  the  census  reports  of  1900  there  are  fifteen  American 
cities  any  one  of  which  contains  more  inhabitants  than  the  total 
number,  266,760,  of  our  taxed  and  untaxed  American  Indians  ;  of 
these  nearly  one  half  are  in  Indian  Territory,  Alaska,  and  Arizona. 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN., 

January,  1904. 


CONTENTS 


PART    I 

SKETCHES   OF   VARIOUS   TRIBES   OF   NORTH   AMERICAN 
INDIANS 

PAGE 

Books  in  the  Indian  Language 

Some  Things  the  Indians  knew  before  White  Men  came       ...         6 

How  the  Iroquois  built  their  Log  Forts 1° 

Indian  Records 

Wampum  Money 

QA 

Indian  Traits 

The  Indian's  Eye  Training 26 

Medicine  Men  among  the  Indians 28 

The  Indian  at  Home 

Meaning  of  Indian  Totems  and  Names 35 

Indian  Names  for  the  Months  or  Moons 39 

Customs  of  Kickapoo,  Seminole,  and  Other  Tribes 

The  Indians  who  live  in  Brick  Houses 47 

The  Moki  Indians 54r 

Dakota  or  Sioux 

en 

Indian  Games 

Sioux  and  Chippewas  of  Minnesota 62 

Chief  Logan  and  Others 

A  Navajo  Medicine  Chant 70 

How  the  Cave  People  found  Dry  Land  on  the  Earth  (Zuni  Chant)       72 


vi  CONTENTS 

PART   II 

TRADITIONS   AND   MYTHS 

PAGE 

Introductory  —  Indian  Stories 79 

I.    lagoo,  the  Great  Story-Teller 81 

II.    How  Clay  Dishes  were  first  made 88 

III.  Leaping  Rock  in  the  Pipestone  Valley 91 

IV.  The  Face  of  the  Great  Manitou  in  the  Rock 93 

V.    How  Two  Squaws  saved  their  Band 96 

VI.    Origin  of  the  Crane  Tribe 98 

VII.    Story  of  the  First  Man  and  Woman 101 

VIII.    Giants  and  Fairies 103 

IX.    Weenk  the  Sleep-Bringer 105 

X.    The  Little  People  of  the  Senecas 108 

XL    The  Hunter  who  could  fly 110 

XII.    How  the  Bear  lost  his  Tail 112 

XIII.  The  Blue  Heron  and  the  Wolf 115 

XIV.  The  Little  Wolf  Brother 119 

XV.    The  Good  Bear  and  the  Lost  Boy 123 

XVI.    Legend  of  Niagara  Falls 127 

XVII.    How  the  Indians  came  to  know  Medicine  Plants     .     .     .  130 

XVIII.    Mondahmin,  who  gave  the  Corn 133 

XIX.    The  Marriage  of  Mondahmin       136 

XX.    The  Prairie  Dandelion 139 

XXI.    The  Shadow  Canoe 141 

XXII.    An  Indian  Temperance  Speech 145 

XXIII.  The  Girl  who  became  a  Pine  Tree 147 

XXIV.  The  White  Stone  Canoe 151 

XXV.    The  Great  Bear  in  the  Sky 155 

XXVI.   The  North  Star  157 


CONTENTS  vii 

PAGE 

XXVII.  The  Star  that  never  moves 160 

XXVIII.  Trapping  in  the  Happy  Hunting  Grounds    ....  164 

XXIX.  The  Old  Man  in  the  Sky 167 

XXX.  Where  the  Morning  Star  came  from 168 

XXXI.  The  Woman  in  the  Moon 171 

XXXII.  The  Seven  Stars  of  Pleiades 174 

XXXIII.  The  Chipmunk's  Black  Stripes 176 

XXXIV.  The  Echo  God  and  the  Northern  Lights       .     .     .     .  179 
XXXV.  Legend  of  Mackinaw  Island 181 

XXXVI.  How  the  Water  Lily  came 185 

XXXVII.  The  North  Wind's  Defeat 189 

XXXVIII.  A  Rip  Van  Winkle 192 

XXXIX.  Legend  of  the  Wampum-Bird  and  the  Boy  ....  200 

XL.  The  Magic  Moccasins 204 

XLT.  Opechee  the  Robin  Redbreast 208 

XLII.  The  Indian  who  married  the  Moon  211 


PART   III 

STORIES   RECENTLY   TOLD  OF   HIAWATHA   AND   OTHER 
HEROES 

Introductory  —  The  Indians' Present  Condition 217 

I.    Menabozho  and  his  Three  Brothers 223 

II.    Story  of  the  Deluge 227 

III.  Menabozho  caught 230 

IV.  How  the  Kingfisher  got  his  Ring  and  his  Ruffle    .     .  235 
V.    How  the  Woodchuck  helped  Menabozho       ....  237 

VI.    Menabozho  swallowed  by  a  Large  Fish 239 

VII.   The  Thunder-Bird  of  the  Dakotas  ,  241 


viii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

VIII.    Hiawatha  the  Wise 244 

IX.    Wampum  or  Indian  Money 251 

X.    Legend  of  the  Arbutus 253 

XI.    The  One  who  loved  him  most 257 

XII.    The  Marten  and  the  White  Rabbit 260 

XIII.  How  Light,  Fire,  and  Water  first  came  to  the  World     .     .  264 

XIV.  How  the  Copper  Mountain  came  to  fall 266 

XV.    The  Sun  and  Moon 268 

XVI.    Custer's  Heart 270 

WORD  LIST 272 

GLOSSARY 273 


LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Se-quoyah,  the  Indian  Scholar Frontispiece 

Pueblo  House  with  Kivas  in  Foreground 7 

Pueblo  Indians  making  Beads 17 

Hogan  of  Navajo  Blanket  Weaver 23 

Big  Medicine  Man 29 

Alaskan  Totem  Poles 37 

Mokis  ready  for  a  Sacred  Dance 43 

Three-Storied  Pueblo  Houses  in  Oraibi 49 

Moki  Maiden  in  Native  Costume 53 

Interior  of  Kiva  with  Sacred  Altar 55 

Chippewa  Indian's  Summer  Wigwam 65 

Interior  of  Zuni  House 73 

The  Indian  Story-Teller Frontispiece,  Part  II  78 

Indian  Woman  making  Clay  Dishes 89 

Alaskan  Indian  Women  with  Baskets 95 

Moki  Basket  Weaver 100 

Kiowa  Papoose  in  its  Cradle 107 

Moki  weaving.     Clay  Dishes  and  Tools -118 

Teepee  Village 126 

Minnehaha  Falls  in  Summer 143 

Apache  Woman  with  her  Handiwork 150 

Indian  Women  with  Papooses 163 

Pueblo  Indian  Pottery 173 

Dance  of  the  Moki  Antelope  Priests 178 

Pueblo  Indians  watching  a  Sacred  Dance 188 

Tu-me-na.     Siwash  Girl 195 

Apache  Scout  ready  for  War  Dance 203 

The  Indian  of  To-day Frontispiece,  Part  III  216 

Indian  Basket  Exhibit 225 

Indian  Picture  Writing  on  Stone 234 

Sioux  Indians  and  Teepee 238 

Pueblo  Women  grinding  Corn 247 

Adobe  Houses.     Pueblo  Children  near  Kiva 261 


PART  I 

SKETCHES    OF    VARIOUS   TRIBES    OF 
NORTH    AMERICAN   INDIANS 


WIGWAM   STOEIES 


BOOKS   IN   THE   INDIAN   LANGUAGE 

OHN  ELIOT,  of  Massachusetts, 
published  the  first  Indian  Bible. 
This  and  other  Bibles  and  books 
in  the  Indian  languages  may 
be  seen  in  the  larger  city 
libraries. 

The  Indians  had  no  printed 
languages  with  letters  before 
the  white  man  came ;  their  painted  or  carved  picture- 
writing  meant  much  to  them.  Their  teepees  were 
covered  with  histories  of  the  battles  their  owners  had 
fought,  but  they  had  no  books  of  "talking  leaves." 

Se-quoyah,  a  Georgia  Indian  half-breed,  was  a  modern 
Cadmus  to  his  people.  He  invented  a  perfect  alphabet 
of  over  eighty  letters  for  his  native  Cherokee  language, 
and  by  his  own  zeal  inspired  his  nation  with  a  love  for 
written  words.  His  paper  was  birch  bark  ;  his  ink  the 
juices  of  berries  and  weeds. 

3 


4  WIGWAM    STORIES 

He  hated  the  white  people,  for  his  white  father  had 
basely  deserted  his  mother  when  Se-quoyah  was  a  help 
less  babe.  His  mother's  father  was  a  proud  chief,  and 
the  grandson  seems  to  have  inherited  his  spirit. 

Se-quoyah  never  learned  to  read  or  to  write  a  word 
or  a  letter  of  English,  and  his  anger  was  aroused  when 
he  saw  one  of  his  tribe  reading  a  book  made  by  the 
hated  white  people  ;  Se-quoyah  then  declared  he  would 
make  as  good  a  one  for  the  Cherokees,  and  he  did. 

He  listened  for  sounds  while  his  people  talked.     He 
became  a  silent  student  and  lost  or  forgot  his  old  war 
like   spirit.     He  sat  beside  his   doorway  and  marked 
upon  bark.      His  people   pitied  him,   for  he   did  not 
fight.     At  last  he  called  a  council ;  he  wrote  on  bark 
and  gave  the  writing  to  his  little  daughter,  who  had 
been  taught  by  him  to  read.     She  read  it  and  did  as 
the  writing  commanded  ;  the  test  was  tried  many  times. 
This  caused  great  excitement ;  young  men  came  in 
scores  to  learn  of  him;  they  forgot  hunting  and  war 
for  letter-writing.     The  white  missionaries  adopted  his 
letters  and  made  a  Bible  which  was  read  by  all  these 
Indian  students.     The  nation  became  civilized  in  a  short 
time,  and  the  first  printing   press  sent  to  an  Indian 
tribe  was  that  sent  about  1820  by  the  United  States 
government  to  the  Cherokees.     The  type  was  cast  in 
Cherokee    characters,    the    same    that    Se-quoyah    had 
invented. 


BOOKS    IN   THE   INDIAN   LANGUAGE  5 

A  marble  bust  of  Se-quoyah  adorns  the  council  house 
in  Tahlequah,  the  capital  of  Indian  Territory,  where 
this  tribe  was  sent  after  gold  was  found  on  their 
reservation  in  Georgia.  They  knew  the  value  of  these 
mines,  but  the  white  man's  power  was  stronger  than 
theirs,  and  they  had  to  leave  homes  and  wealth  for  a 
strange  new  land. 

Sequoia,  the  botanical  name  of  the  big  trees  of  Cali 
fornia,  is  the  only  memorial  the  white  man  has  given 
this  truly  American  genius. 

Adapted  from  Smithsonian  Report. 


SOME   THINGS   THE   INDIANS   KNEW  BEFORE 
WHITE   MEN   CAME 


r~PHE  Indians  made  and  still  make  excellent  canoes 
of  bark  or  of  logs  and  even  of  skins.  The  birch- 
bark  canoe  is  light  and  very  swift,  and  white  hunters 
are  proud  of  their  skill  in  its  use,  but  the  skin  boat 
has  only  strength  as  its  merit. 

The  Siwash  Indian  of  Puget  Sound  hollows  out  from 
a  single  log  a  fine  canoe  with  decorated  prow.  He 
makes  it  secretly  in  the  dark  forest,  and  white  men 
have  tried  for  years  to  solve  the  problem  of  its 
swiftness. 

The  bows  of  strong  wood  bent  by  sinew  cords  and 
the  stone-headed  arrows  with  feather  tips  were  excel 
lent  weapons  in  the  Indians'  former  methods  of  warfare 
and  hunting,  and  a  good  arrowhead  maker  was  famous 
throughout  a  nation. 

Indian  squaws  were  skillful  in  the  making  of  buck 
skin  suits  for  their  braves.  The  handsomely  embroid 
ered  moccasins  were  and  are  now  good  specimens  of 


PUEBLO  HOUSE  WITH  KIVAS  IN  FOREGROUND 

From  a  Photograph 


8  WIGWAM   STORIES 

woman's  work  and  love  for  beauty  of  coloring  and 
design.  Each  tribe  had  its  own  pattern  and  shape, 
differing  so  much  from  those  of  other  tribes  that  a 
footprint  might  announce  an  enemy  in  war  time. 

The  Indians  are  still  noted  trappers,  and  their  squaws 
know  well  how  to  tan  and  dress  the  skins  of  animals. 
Fish-hooks  were  made  of  bone  or  flint,  and  spear  points 
were  of  the  same  materials,  but  they  were  very  sharp 
and  with  them  the  Indians  caught  many  fish. 

Their  roving  habits  as  hunters  gave  them  little  time 
for  house-building,  and  so  their  homes  were  simply  tents 
made  of  strips  of  bark  or,  better  yet,  of  large  buffalo 
or  deer  hides,  neatly  sewed  together  for  this  purpose. 
These  teepees  and  wigwams  were  easily  put  up  or 
removed,  and  were  a  good  shelter. 

The  Village  Indians,  or  Pueblos  of  Arizona,  still 
build  themselves  houses  of  adobe  or  unburnt  brick. 
As  the  Pueblos  were  and  are  now  less  warlike  than  the 
roving  tribes  which  live  in  tent-like  houses,  they  have 
had  time  to  invent  many  useful  things. 

The  Pueblos  weave  excellent  woolen  blankets  of  gay 
stripes  and  a  coarse  cloth  for  wearing  apparel.  They 
make  water-tight  baskets  and  dishes  of  fiber,  and  these 
are  often  exchanged  with  the  Tent  Indians  for  dried 
meat  and  other  food. 

The  Village  Indians  have  for  centuries  planted  and 
cared  for  maize,  pumpkins,  beans,  and  other  vegetables. 


SOME   THINGS   THE  fi^JANS    KNEW  9 

Turkeys  are  raised  for  food,  arrf^tei^^feather  fibers 
are  woven  into  cloth.  Eagles  are  caged  and  raised  for 
their  long  feathers,  which  are  held  sacred. 

In  the  ruined  houses  of  the  cliff-dwellers  of  Texas 
and  Arizona  fragments  of  cloth  woven  from  cotton  and 
other  substances  have  been  found.  No  white  man 
taught  this  ancient  people  these  arts  of  weaving. 

Clay  dishes,  mortars,  and  pestles  of  stone,  large  sea- 
shells  cut  into  shapes  for  holding  food,  stone  axes,  and 
knives  show  some  of  the  skill  of  these  early  Americans. 

The  ornaments  made  of  silver  by  the  Navajo,  as  well 
as  the  long  strings  of  turquoise  beads,  are  sometimes 
remarkable  for  their  beauty. 

Wampum,  used  by  so  many  tribes  for  money,  was 
carefully  made  from  shells  by  eastern  Indians.  It 
seems  strange  that  their  crude  tools  could  have  made 
such  small  beads  so  very  well. 

The  knowledge  of  medicine  in  all  tribes  was  lim 
ited  to  a  few  herbs.  The  rest  was  a  kind  of  sorcery ; 
but  with  the  herbs,  fresh  air,  and  fresh  water  they 
managed  to  cure  many  ills. 

The  Pueblos  of  New  Mexico  are  very  different  from 
the  Zunis  or  the  Moki  Pueblos  of  Arizona.  They  are 
now  much  like  the  white  people,  for  they  live  in  well- 
built  houses,  attend  church,  and  send  their  children 
to  school. 


HOW   THE   IROQUOIS   BUILT   THEIR 
LOG  FORTS 


HE  French  explorers  in  the  land 
near  Lake  Champlain,  and  in 
what  is  now  central  New  York, 
found  many  of  the  Iroquois  vil 
lages  protected  by  strong,  well- 
built  log  forts. 

They  were  built  in  this  way : 
The  Indians  first  found  a  place 
where  there  were  many  tall  trees;  these  were  set  on 
fire  near  their  roots,  and  stone  axes  were  used  to  rub 
off  the  coals,  so  they  would  burn  faster.  After  the 
trees  had  fallen  to  the  ground  they  were  set  on  fire 
again,  in  places  about  three  long  steps  apart.  The  fires 
burned  through  the  logs  in  about  half  a  day. 

As  there  were  no  horses,  the  logs  were  drawn  by  the 
Indians,  and  then  put  into  place.  Earth  was  heaped 
up  on  both  sides  of  the  logs  to  keep  them  from  falling. 
The  forts  had  two  gates;  the  one  in  front  for  general 
use ;  the  one  in  the  rear  for  use  when  getting  water. 
In  making  the  fire  to  burn  the  logs,  a  small  dry 

stick  was  quickly  rubbed  with  a  steady  motion  against 

10 


THE   IEOQUOIS   LOG   FORTS  11 

well-seasoned  wood  ;  after  a  while  it  would  burn.  Great 
care  was  used  in  preserving  coals  of  fire  through  the 
night  time  for  the  next  day's  use. 

On  the  shores  of  the  beautiful  Seneca  Lake,  by  the 
banks  of  the  Mohawk  and  Genesee  rivers,  in  the  forests 
of  Oneida  and  Cayuga,  and  in  many  other  parts  of  this 
fertile  region,  these  strongholds  of  a  savage  people 
stood  secure. 

Sometimes  several  acres  of  land  were  enclosed,  with 
many  homes  well  protected  both  day  and  night  from 
wild  animals  and  other  foes. 

Some  of  these  rude  dwellings  were  more  than  one 
hundred  feet  in  length,  and  were  made  of  poles  bent 
like  an  arch  and  covered  closely  with  many  layers  of 
elm  bark.  These  large  houses,  thus  protected  by  forts, 
were  used  by  several  different  families,  for  the  "  long- 
houses  "  were  divided  into  rooms  by  deerskins  or  other 
robes. 

Fine  fields  of  corn,  squashes,  and  beans  were  planted 
and  harvested  by  these  fort  dwellers,  and  they  knew 
well  how  to  protect  themselves  from  intruders,  for  they 
had  hundreds  of  stones  and  even  huge  rocks  piled 
inside  the  fort  ready  to  hurl  at  an  enemy. 


INDIAN   RECORDS 


HE  Leni  Lennape,  or  Delaware 
Indians,  kept  a  curious  record  of 
their  early  history  by  means  of 
sticks  which  were  notched  and 
painted;  these  sticks  were  about 
six  inches  long.  Each  painted  notch 
''  indicated  some  great  event  in  their 
nation's  history.  The  meanings  of 
the  notches  were  taught  by  old  chiefs 
to  the  younger  ones,  and  the  stories 
have  been  repeated  for  hundreds  of  years.  Leni 
Lennape  means  Men  of  Men  or  The  People,  and  these 
sticks  have  been  held  to  prove  that  their  nation  is  one 
of  the  oldest  among  the  red  men.  Their  chiefs  were 
noted  for  their  wisdom  in  war  and  peace. 

A  white  man,  who  proved  himself  a  true  friend  to  the 
Leni  Lennapes,  gained  their  confidence  and  they  told 
him  the  secrets  that  were  kept  by  the  painted  sticks. 
He  had  it  printed,  but  had  to  leave  out  many  words,  as 
their  language  is  very  different  from  English.  It  is  an 
easy  matter  to  read  the  history  now,  and,  although  many 
words  are  omitted,  any  one  can  understand  its  meaning. 

12 


INDIAN   RECORDS  13 

This  record,  which  the  notched  and  painted  sticks 
have  kept  for  several  hundreds  of  years,  is  an  account 
of  the  travels  of  the  Leni  Lennape  Indians  from  the 
Northwest  across  the  Wide  River.  This  must  have 
been  the  Mississippi.  They  call  it  Names!  Sipu,  the 
"  river  of  fish." 

When  across  the  Wide  River,  they  found  they  had 
come  to  the  country  of  the  Great  Serpent.  Numerous 
earth  mounds  in  the  form  of  an  immense  serpent  are 
found  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  These  are 
believed  to  have  been  made  by  a  people,  long  ago 
extinct,  who  may  have  fought  the  Delawares. 

Other  Indian  tribes  and  nations  have  kept  long 
records  by  means  of  similar  sticks,  but  the  account 
given  by  this  people  is  the  longest  Indian  history. 
The  last  marks  upon  these  painted  sticks  are  said  to 
mean :  u  The  white  men  have  come  from  the  north 
and  the  south.  They  are  peaceful;  they  have  great 
things.  Who  are  they  ?  " 

These  Leni  Lennapes  are  the  Delawares,  with  whom 
the  Quakers  made  their  treaty  near  Philadelphia. 
The  Iroquois  had  conquered  these  Indians,  and  had 
refused  to  let  them  go  to  war  as  a  punishment  for  their 
great  bravery.  The  Quakers  found  them  peaceable, 
honest,  and  faithful  friends,  and  for  forty  years  no 
white  person  was  harmed  who  had  never  broken  his 
promise  to  the  Leni  Lennapes,  or  Delaware  Indians. 


14  WIGWAM   STOEIES 

The  Aztecs,  or  Mexican  Indians,  had  a  serpent  god, 
and  some  have  said  that  these  mounds  must  have  been 
built  by  them.  The  Leni  Lennape  stick  records  tell 
only  that  the  country  of  the  Great  Serpent  was  con 
quered  little  by  little.  The  mounds  are  themselves  the 
unsolved  records  of  a  great  people.  No  Indian  legends 
or  histories  have  ever  explained  the  meaning  of  these 
heaps  of  earth,  which  are  shaped  like  animals  or  birds, 
and  are  now  sometimes  covered  by  huge  trees. 

The  wampum  belt  tells  its  story  by  the  pictures  upon 
it,  while  the  record  sticks  had  only  painted  notches  to 
help  the  memory  of  the  tribe's  historians. 


WAMPUM   MONEY 

"VY~TAMPUM  has  been  used  among  the  Indians  east 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  since  the  whites  first 
had  dealings  with  them.  Among  the  eastern  Indians 
it  was  first  found  to  be  made  of  the  white  and  purple 
parts  of  clam  shells.  These  shells  were  carefully  cut 
into  small  pieces  by  means  of  sharp-edged  stone  knives, 
and  a  hole  was  bored  through  the  pieces,  making  them 
like  little  tubes. 

The  white  and  the  dark-colored  beads  were  threaded 
and  carefully  arranged  into  patterns  when  belts  or  other 
woven  pieces  of  ornament  were  made.  The  threads 
were  either  of  vegetable  fiber  or  of  deer  sinews,  and 
long  strings  were  sometimes  made  of  the  bark  of  the 
slippery-elm  tree.  Dark-colored  parts  of  the  shells 
from  which  the  beads  were  made  were  called  black, 
but  they  were  really  dark  shades  of  purple.  White 
beads  meant  peace.  Dark  beads  were  woven  into  the 
belt  either  in  square  or  diamond  patterns  or  in  some 
more  irregular  shape. 

15 


16  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  wampum  belt  used  in  the  treaty  between  Wil 
liam  Penn  and  the  Indians  is  now  in  the  rooms  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Historical  Society.  It  was  given  to  this 
society  by  a  great-grandson  of  William  Penn.  This 
wampum  belt  was  given  to  its  first  white  owner  as  a 
solemn  token  that  they  would  keep  their  pledge.  His 
tory  has  shown  how  faithfully  these  red  men  kept  their 
pledge  with  the  Quakers. 

This  famous  belt  is  an  unusually  wide  one,  having 
eighteen  rows  of  wampum  and  nearly  three  thousand 
beads,  which  is  proof  that  it  was  an  important  token. 
The  center  of  the  belt  is  of  white  wampum  with  two  fig 
ures  of  men  wrought  in  dark  beads.  The  figures  are  pict 
ured  as  clasping  each  other's  hands.  One  man  pictured 
on  the  belt  wears  a  hat,  while  the  other  does  not ;  this 
shows  that  one  was  a  white  man,  the  other  an  Indian. 

This  belt  was  kept  in  the  Penn  family  and  treasured 
with  as  much  care  as  the  chain  and  medal  given  to 
William  Penn  by  the  English  Parliament ;  indeed,  the 
medal  and  the  wampum  belt  each  served  a  like  purpose  : 
they  were  reminders  of  the  promises  of  a  nation. 

Wampum  belts  of  great  historic  value  are  kept  by 
the  Onondaga  Indians  ;  the  finest  of  these  is  called  the 
George  Washington  belt.  It  is  believed  by  those  who 
have  had  charge  of  it  to  be  a  pledge  relating  to  a  treaty 
between  the  early  government  of  the  United  States  and 
the  Six  Nations.  Fifteen  men  are  pictured  on  this  belt. 


i  * 
? 

5    I 


18  WIGWAM   STOKIES 

These  may  mean  the  original  thirteen  colonies  and  the 
people  who  were  the  speakers  at  the  time  of  the 
treaty. 

Such  uses  of  belts  of  wampum  were  common  among 
the  different  tribes  of  Indians.  Smaller  belts  were 
woven  for  the  chiefs  to  wear,  and  the  women  made 
themselves  bracelets  and  neck  chains  of  the  beads. 

It  was  necessary  for  the  whites  in  the  very  early 
times  to  have  this  Indian  money  ready  when  they 
wished  to  purchase  furs  or  other  supplies  of  their  wild 
neighbors.  The  beads  had  a  certain  value  according 
to  the  number  of  strings.  This  value  never  changed. 

It  is  told  by  the  people  who  wrote  back  to  England 
in  those  early  days  that  the  Indians  could  not  be  made 
to  understand  why  they  should  pay  more  wampum  for 
anything  when  it  was  scarce  than  when  it  was  plenti 
ful.  They  were  used  to  having  one  price  for  things 
they  wished  to  buy  and  never  having  the  price  changed. 
For  this  reason  the  early  settlers  were  able  to  buy  many 
valuable  things  at  a  very  small  price. 

The  chiefs  of  the  Iroquois,  while  mourning  a  chief's 
death,  wore  strings  of  black  wampum.  Other  strings 
of  different  lengths  or  colors  meant  various  things  to 
the  owners  and  those  about  them.  The  wearing  of 
wampum  in  any  quantity  meant  wealth  and  position. 

It  is  told  of  the  famous  Chief  Logan  that  he  saved  a 
captive  white  by  rushing  through  the  circle  of  Indians 


WAMPUM   MONEY  19 

who  were  tormenting  him,  and  throwing  a  string  of 
wampum  about  the  captive's  neck.  From  that  minute 
he  belonged  to  Chief  Logan. 

Wampum  has  been  made  by  machinery  since  1670 
and  sold  to  the  Indians.  Old  belts  and  strings  of 
beads,  so  slowly  made  by  hand,  are  very  valuable. 
The  white  and  colored  glass  beads  now  used  are  worth 
but  little  compared  with  the  wampum  of  early  days. 

Arranged  from  Powell's  Report  to  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology. 


INDIAN   TRAITS 

iLMOST  unconsciously,  even  as  our  own 
eyes  and  other  senses  are  trained  to 
help  us  in  city  or  country  life,  the 
Indians  are  adding  to  their  educa 
tion  in  the  things  which  will  make 
life  and  labor  easier  to  them.  Their 
reading  of  weather  signs  is  very 
accurate,  and  possibly  their  rain-makers  are  simply 
experts  in  these  signs. 

Their  method  of  lying  in  ambush  in  war  times 
calls  out  all  their  hidden  powers  in  every  line.  They 
can  decoy  their  foe  by  imitating  bird  calls  or  animals  ; 
they  can  make  themselves  into  stump-like  figures  and 
almost  defy  a  close  inspection. 

If  injured,  they  rarely  show  pain,  though  the  tor 
ture  of  the  broken  limb  or  the  bullet  may  be  intense. 
Indian  boys  are  taught  by  both  parents  from  early 
childhood  to  bear  their  pain  silently.  It  comes  as  a 
good  lesson,  when  in  manhood  a  groan  might  show  an 
enemy  where  they  were  hidden. 

Their  long  trails  or  paths  over  mountains,  through 

thick  forests,  across  treeless  plains,  with  no  compass 

20 


INDIAN   TRAITS  21 

but  the  North  Star,  have  made  them  watchful  of  every 
earthly  means  of  finding  their  way.  They  will  tell 
you  that  trees  are  greener  on  the  south  side  than 
on  the  north,  and  that  there  are  plants  whose  leaves 
point  due  north.  Flocks  of  birds  sometimes  help  to 
guide  them.  They  seem  to  have  almost  an  instinct  in 
finding  their  way  home. 

An  Indian's  natural  pride  is  as  great  as  a  king's. 
To  him  his  nation  is  the  greatest  one  on  earth.  No 
Indian  must  allow  that  the  white  is  greater  in  numbers 
or  strength. 

A  number  of  years  ago  a  Mandan  chief  named  letan 
visited  the  city  of  Washington  in  company  with  others. 
On  his  return,  at  the  council  which  was  called  in  his 
honor,  he  told  of  boats  he  had  seen  that  were  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  long ;  of  great  houses  filled  with 
white  people  ;  of  great  cities  and  long  railroad  trails. 

The  Indians  will  have  nothing  but  absolute  truth  at 
these  councils.  They  must  not  deceive  each  other. 
The  council  declared  that  letan  was  telling  false  tales 
to  frighten  the  Mandan s.  No  canoe  could  be  built  so 
large  as  he  had  said.  No  such  number  of  white  peo 
ple  could  live  in  a  land  where  there  were  no  buffalo. 
Houses  such  as  he  had  told  about  would  be  blown 
down  by  the  great  winds. 

letan  was  proven  to  have  basely  deceived  the  coun 
cil.  He  was  condemned  to  death  for  making  the 


22  WIGWAM   STOKIES 

white  man  stronger  and  greater  than  the  red  man. 
letan  told  them  he  was  ready  and  willing  to  suffer  the 
penalty,  but  when  they  were  older  they  would  know 
that  his  words  were  not  false.  He  was  punished  as 
the  council  decreed.  Perhaps  they  are  wise  enough 
now  to  read  the  signs  made  by  the  iron  trails  across 
the  Dakota  prairies,  and  their  children  know  that  what 
letan  said  was  true. 

Indians  seem  to  have  great  pity  for  the  unfortunate 
few  of  their  tribe  who  have  lost  their  senses,  becoming 
either  insane  or  foolish.  A  certain  professor  belonging 
to  a  well-known  eastern  college  had  reason  to  be 
thankful  for  this  trait  not  many  years  ago.  He  had 
been  gathering  plants  and  insects  in  one  of  the  deso 
late  regions  in  the  west.  He  was  unarmed,  and  knew 
nothing  of  any  Indian  language  or  of  the  sign  language 
so  much  used  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

A  marauding  band  of  Indians  caught  sight  of  him. 
Wheeling  their  ponies  in  his  direction,  they  were  down 
upon  him  before  he  had  time  to  do  anything  more  than 
gather  his  collection  into  the  boxes  and  get  upon  his 
pony.  For  some  reason  they  did  not  offer  to  hurt  him ; 
they,  however,  were  willing  to  make  themselves  richer 
by  whatever  they  could  get  from  him.  The  professor 
did  not  say  a  word,  but  handed  them  his  case  of  roots 
and  plants.  At  this  they  stared  open-eyed,  for  it  con 
tained  nothing  that  any  one  could  eat.  His  boxes  of 


8 


r 

P        e-i 

I   * 
ll 

a 

< 


24  WIGWAM   STORIES 

insects  were  next  examined.  Nothing  of  use  to  them 
was  found.  His  pockets  were  searched.  They  were 
filled  with  bugs,  flies,  and  flower  specimens. 

Looking  him  over  from  head  to  foot,  they  all  seem 
to  have  reached  the  same  conclusion  at  the  same  time ; 
with  shouts  of  laughter  and  mocking  bows  and  gri 
maces,  they  gave  him  back  his  boxes.  They  had  dis 
covered  by  all  the  signs  that  he  was  a  being  who  had 
not  a  sense  left,  and  they  would  not  harm  him.  So  the 
learned  professor  was  spared  to  return  to  tell  the  tale. 

The  numerous  Indian  nations  of  America  are  and 
were  as  different  in  their  character  and  conditions  as 
are  the  civilized  people  living  in  America  to-day.  They 
had  their  unions  and  their  divisions  of  land  according 
to  nation,  not  according  to  family  or  person.  Many 
nations  seem  to  have  had  wise  laws. 

Very  strangely,  many  of  the  tribes  expected  the 
coming  of  the  white  man.  When  the  Indian  has 
learned  that  village  life  is  no  disgrace,  he  may  become 
even  greater  than  the  paleface  with  the  talking  leaves 
or  printed  book. 

A  wise  old  Indian  was  once  told  that  white  men  were 
beginning  to  think  they  had  found  where  the  Indian 
came  from ;  that  the  place  was  northern  China. 

"  Perhaps  the  people  of  northern  China  came  from 
the  Indian  race  in  America,"  said  the  Indian.  It  was 
well  said.  There  are  many  proofs  that  the  mound- 


INDIAN   TRAITS  25 

builders,  the  Aztec,  and  the  Indian  have  made  this  part 
of  the  world  their  home  for  ages,  when  it  was  unknown 
and  unthought  of  in  the  wildest  dreams  of  seamen  or 
of  kings. 

The  hunting  chase  is  the  great  happiness  of  the 
Indian.  Now  the  wild  buffalo  is  gone  from  the  plains 
forever ;  the  red  deer,  elk,  moose,  and  bear  hide  away 
in  the  northern  forests ;  the  Indian's  hope  for  a  long 
future  for  his  nation  is  lost.  They  are  no  longer  braves 
but  squaws,  for  they  must  plant  corn  and  watch  it. 
Village  life  is  very  tame  compared  with  the  wandering 
life  when  the  tribes  moved  to  some  new  place  almost 
every  moon. 

They  have  an  old,  old  prophecy  among  many  tribes, 
"that  the  Great  Manitou  will  some  day  send  away 
the  white  race  ;  the  whole  earth  shall  be  given  to  the 
Indians."  This  prophecy  is  repeated  in  the  religious 
dances,  and  the  medicine  men  comfort  their  people 
with  it  when  the  tribes  feel  the  injustice  of  the  whites. 
It  excites  them  to  battle  with  the  invader. 

Their  training  has  always  been  for  revenge,  but  they 
are  also  trained  to  remember  the  good  which  has  been 
done  to  them. 


THE   INDIAN'S   EYE   TRAINING 


IN  Indian  left  his  lodge  for  several 
days ;  when  he  came  back,  the 
dried  deer  meat  which  he  had 
left  hanging  to  a  tree  near  his 
wigwam  was  gone.  He  did  not 
go  around  asking  questions  of 
his  neighbors,  but  just  used  his 
eyes  instead  of  his  tongue  for 
the  first  hour,  and  his  eyes  told  him  many  things. 

Then  he  went  to  a  wigwam  near  by  and  asked  :  "  Did 
you  see  a  little,  old,  white  man  with  a  short  gun  ?  Did 
you  see  him  in  the  last  two  days  ?  Did  he  have  a  small 
dog  with  a  short  tail  ?  " 

The  neighbor  Indian  said :  "  Yes,  I  saw  him.  He 
and  his  dog  were  on  the  trail  going  south." 

The  Indian  took  the  same  trail  and  in  a  few  days 
returned  with  the  dog  and  the  deer  meat. 

Some  white  men  had  heard  the  questions  of  the 
Indian  before  he  started  out,  and  after  he  came  back 
they  went  to  him  and  said :  "  We  want  to  know  who 
took  your  meat.  How  did  you  know  it  was  a  white 


man  ? 


26 


INDIAN'S   EYE   TRAINING  27 

"  White  man  turns  toe  out ;  Indian  put  foot  so,  one 
behind  the  other,  walk  straight." 

"  How  did  you  know  that  he  was  little  and  that  he 
was  old?" 

"He  put  pile  of  stones  by  deer-meat  tree;  cannot 
reach,  he  little.  He  takes  short  steps;  he  old." 

"  How  did  you  know  that  his  gun  Avas  short  ?  " 

"  He  stick  gun  on  ground  against  tree.  Gun  muzzle 
make  mark  little  way  from  ground.  Short  gun." 

"  Well,  how  did  you  ever  know  that  he  had  a  little 
dog  like  that,  with  a  short  tail  ?  " 

"  Dog  sit  in  the  sand.  Watch  man  get  meat.  Dog 
leave  mark  where  he  sit  down  in  sand.  Indian  can  see 
with  two  eyes." 


MEDICINE   MEN   AMONG   THE   INDIANS 

rEARLY  all  tribes  have  their  medi 
cine  men.  These  men  choose  this 
work,  frequently  because  of  some 
deformity  which  unfits  them  for 
the  warpath,  and  they  fit  them 
selves  for  it,  sometimes  from  boy 
hood.  They  have  great  power  over 
all  their  people.  They  are  called 
into  the  council  when  the  tribe  goes  to  war.  They  are 
called  upon  when  any  one  is  sick.  They  believe  and 
teach  that  sickness  is  caused  by  an  evil  spirit.  Their 
medicine  is  to  contrive  some  way  to  drive  out  the  evil 
spirit  of  sickness. 

The  medicine  man  usually  works  himself  into  a  frenzy 
or  even  into  a  fit,  and  while  in  this  state  his  mutterings 
are  taken  for  advice  and  followed.  The  patient  must 
then  get  well.  If  he  does  not,  it  is  because  the  evil 
spirit  cannot  be  conquered. 

Many  tribes  believe  that  the  soul  leaves  the  body 
when  the  evil  spirit  of  sickness  enters.  The  Portage 
Indians  of  British  America  hold  this  belief.  Their 
medicine  men  try  to  bring  back  the  wandering  soul  by 

28 


f  Wr' 

•• 


BIG  MEDICINE  MAN 

From  a  Photograph 


30  WIGWAM   STORIES 

many  curious  performances.  For  one  thing,  the  sick 
man's  friends  are  ordered  to  hang  up  his  buckskin 
moccasins  stuffed  with  soft  feathery  down.  If  the 
feathers  become  warm  to  the  touch,  they  will  know 
that  the  wandering  soul  has  touched  them  and  perhaps 
is  hiding  in  them.  The  moccasins  are  quickly  put  upon 
the  feet  of  the  patient  that  his  soul  may  not  escape. 
If  he  does  not  get  well,  it  is  because  his  friends  were 
not  quick  enough  in  their  work. 

The  medicine  men  of  many  tribes  dress  themselves 
in  hideous  fashion  to  excite  the  fear  and  compel  the 
respect  of  their  people.  They  do  not  have  to  go  on 
the  warpath,  but  will  do  it  sometimes.  It  seems  to  be 
a  good  chance  for  the  deformed  to  win  respect  from 
the  physically  perfect. 


THE   INDIAN   AT   HOME 

AN  Indian  in  his  native  costume 
is  a  subject  artists  are  glad  to 
paint,  —  tanned  buckskin  trousers 
with  the  buckskin  fringe  down  the  out-  / 
side  seams ;  buckskin   moccasins  with  \\ 
colored  porcupine  quills  neatly  woven  /// 
into  the  leather  in  regular  patterns,  and 
a  heavy  blanket  or  buffalo  robe  over  his 
shoulders,  hanging  nearly  to  the  ground. 
But  the  paint  upon  his  face  is  his  chief  pride. 

A  traveler,  in,  1S35,  was  taking  a  trip 
up  the  Mississippi.  He  espied  an  Indian 
on  the  forward  deck  who  was  making  his 
toilet,  apparently  unaware  that  a  paleface 
was  watching  the  process. 

The  traveler  gives  this  account:  "The 
Indian  had  secured  at  Fort  Snelling,  near 
St.  Paul,  a  bit  of  broken  looking-glass, 
and  there  he  sat  on  deck,  painting  his 
face  and  neck.  A  daub  of  the  brightest 
red  paint  went  down  the  line  marking 
the  parting  of  his  hair. 

31 


32  WIGWAM    STORIES 

"  He  worried  and  worked  as  much  over  the  daubs 
on  his  cheeks  as  some  very  civilized  girls  would  over 
a  naughty  curl.  First,  a  daub  of  yellow  with  red  at 
the  edge ;  then  red  on  the  yellow,  and  yellow  on  the 
red,  until  his  eye  was  satisfied. 

"  In  the  tuft  of  hair  on  his  crown  he  stuck  an  eagle 
feather  ;  the  mirror  showed  it  was  not  in  a  becoming 
place.  Out  it  came  and  was  poised  at  a  different  angle. 
Still,  it  was  not  just  the  style  he  wanted,  and  out  it 
came  again.  At  last  it  stood  straight  up,  and  the 
dandy  finished  his  toilet. 

"  Such  a  self-satisfied  air  did  he  put  on  when  paint, 
feather,  and  blanket  had  been  arranged  to  his  liking  ! 
Perhaps  some  daughter  of  the  Dakotas  was  the  cause 
of  all  this  patient  study  of  the  art  of  dressing ;  but  I 
cannot  dream  of  Hiawatha  ever  belittling  himself  to 
take  so  long  a  time  with  feathers  and  paint." 

It  seemed  strange  to  the  traveler  for  the  Indian  to 
take  so  much  pains  with  the  colors  of  paint  and  the 
place  where  he  put  them  upon  his  face,  but  it  is  now 
known  that  each  color  has  its  meaning  with  them. 
The  Indians  paint  their  faces  very  differently  when 
they  are  going  on  the  warpath.  The  warriors  of  each 
nation  have  their  own  fashion  of  painting  their  faces 
and  bodies. 

The  war  chiefs  have  a  very  noble  look  when  they 
come  out  with  their  feather  war  bonnets  reaching  from 


THE    INDIAN   AT    HOME  33 

the  crowns  of  their  heads  down  to  their  feet.  Their 
bearing  is  dignified ;  their  faces  are  earnest  and  solemn ; 
and  each  one  treads  the  earth  as  a  king. 

Indian  women  are  sometimes  very  handsome  when 
young ;  but  the  quantity  of  colored  earth  they  use  as 
paint  does  not  hide  half  the  dirt  upon  their  faces. 
They  wear  blankets  and  buckskin  skirts,  and  make  a 
pretty  picture  if  the  wigwam  is  in  the  background. 
Many  of  the  babies  have  a  decidedly  Japanese  look 
and  are  attractive  little  creatures,  as  babies  are  apt 
to  be. 

The  Indian  squaw  is  a  good  helpmate  to  her  husband. 
His  work  is  to  hunt ;  her  work  is  at  home  in  the 
teepee,  where  he  can  find  rest  and  food  after  his  hunt 
ing.  An  Indian  brave  will  not  do  his  squaw's  work, 
and  his  squaw  does  not  wish  her  brave  to  be  different 
from  other  men. 

The  Indian  pony  seems  like  a  -part  of  the  family. 
He  is  not  petted  nor  fed  like  the  Arabian  horse,  but 
is  just  as  necessary  to  his  master's  happiness.  Indian 
ponies  know  what  little  food  and  what  no  food  mean. 
The  rank  prairie  grass  is  usually  easy  for  them  to  get, 
but  sometimes  it  is  burned  off.  The  pony  must  search 
for  his  own  food  in  summer  or  winter. 

The  Indian  pony  or  cayuse  sometimes  carries  a  load 
under  which  a  donkey  could  hardly  move ;  but  he 
takes  his  own  gait,  and  keeps  it  too.  He  is  suited  by 


34  WIGWAM   STOKIES 

inherited  years  of  hard  work  to  his  master  and  his 
home.  The  Indian  pony  is  thought  to  be  descended 
from  the  horses  brought  to  America  by  the  Spanish 
explorers. 

The  dogs  belonging  to  an  Indian  camp  or  village 
are  numerous  and  often  nearly  starved.  Whenever  a 
stranger  makes  his  appearance,  his  coming  is  announced 
by  furious  barks  and  howls  of  these  hungry  sentinels. 
The  white  hunter  has  reason  to  dread  the  attacks  of 
these  dogs,  for  they  are  much  like  the  coyotes  and 
wolves  of  the  forests.  Unless  his  gun  is  ready,  or 
their  masters  call  them  back,  it  is  usually  best  for  the 
stranger  to  find  refuge  in  a  tree;  but  the  braves, 
squaws,  and  children  give  the  white  visitor  a  kind 
welcome  as  soon  as  they  know  that  his  visit  is  friendly. 


MEANING    OF    INDIAN    TOTEMS 
AND    NAMES 

AN  Indian,  while  hunting,  followed  a 
bear  a  long  way  into  the  forest. 
The  rain  came  and  he  was  lost,  so  he  cut 
the  bark  from  a  tree  and  made  with  his 
tomahawk  a  picture  of  a  fox.  He  put  a 
ring  under  one  foot  in  the  picture.  He 
belonged  to  the  Fox  tribe  and  had  been 
lost  one  day.  He  made  more  such  marks 
on  the  trees  as  he  went  on. 

Another  hunter  from  the  same  tribe 
found  him  after  three  days.  He  had 
trailed  him  by  the  little  marks  on  the 
trees ;  by  bent  twigs  and  branches  ;  by 
his  footprints  in  the  mud  or  sand.  He 
knew  the  lost  one  was  very  weak  and 
hungry,  for  the  last  fox  picture  had  three 
circles  to  show  that  he  had  been  lost  three 
days,  and  other  marks  to  show  that  he  had 
shot  nothing.  An  untrained  white  hunter 
would  not  have  seen  one  sign  of  the 
lost  Indian.  *"•* 

35 


36  WIGWAM   STORIES 

If  the  Fox  Indian  had  been  asked  why  he  used  the 
fox  picture,  he  would  have  said,  if  ready  to  talk  :  u  My 
grandfather  was  a  fox."  This  would  mean  to  us  that 
his  totem  or  first  ancestor  was  a  fox. 

Other  tribes  believe  they  are  descended  from  bears, 
wolves,  cranes,  or  other  creatures.  They  nearly  all  have 
their  totems,  or  sign-pictures.  We  write  our  names 
with  letters ;  they  use  pictures.  It  is  their  coat-of- 
arms.  Our  names  also  have  meanings. 

The  tall,  curiously  carved  totem  poles  of  Alaska  are 
really  carved  family  histories.  Where  two  or  more 
animals  are  pictured  on  one  pole  it  shows  the  marriage 
or  other  union  of  different  bands  to  which  the  family 
belongs.  These  totem  poles  are  usually  put  up  before 
each  native  house.  The  natives  will  not  sell  them,  for 
they  are  valuable  family  records. 

A  Dakota  warrior  shot  an  arrow  into  the  sky ;  the 
clouds  parted  just  as  his  arrow  turned  to  fall.  He 
was  thought  to  have  shot  the  clouds  ;  he  was  called 
Hole-in-the-sky. 

Old  Chief  Sleepy-eye  had  a  bright  mind,  but  his  eye 
lids  did  not  serve  him  well ;  hence  his  name. 

In  some  tribes  the  little  ones  are  named  after  the 
first  object  that  is  seen,  as  Buffalo  Horn,  White  Pony, 
Lame  Dog,  and  names  that  are  sometimes  better  but 
more  often  seem  to  us  not  so  good. 

The    Sioux    have    names    for    their    boys    or    girls 


ALASKAN  TOTEM  POLES 

From  a  Photograph 


38  WIGWAM   STORIES 

according  to  their  order  of  birth.  The  first  boy  is  called 
Chaska,  until  by  some  feat  of  bravery  he  changes  it 
himself.  The  second  son  is  Harpam  ;  his  next  brother 
is  Hapeda  ;  the  fourth  son  is  Chatun  ;  and  the  fifth  boy 
has  the  name  of  Harka  all  ready  for  him. 

The  first  girl  has  the  musical  name  of  Winona,  and 
her  next  younger  sister  takes  the  name  of  Harpan. 
Harpstena  will  be  the  name  of  the  third  girl  baby. 
Waska  and  Weharka  are  for  the  fourth  and  fifth 
girls  of  a  family,  and  other  names  are  provided  for 
a  greater  number  of  children. 

The  Indians  have  titles  and  descriptive  names  for 
the  white  people  whom  they  know.  A  certain  mili 
tary  surgeon  who  has  been  among  them  and  has  keen, 
dark  eyes  and  gray  hair  is  always  called  Gray  Eagle. 
Their  senses  are  trained  to  observe  very  keenly,  and 
they  quickly  know  each  person.  Perhaps  the  paleface 
might  be  startled  if  he  understood  the  name  they 
gave  him. 

Some  Indian  tribes  call  the  horse  Foot-wit h-one-toe. 
Few  white  Americans  would  have  noticed  the  horse's 
foot  so  closely. 


THE   INDIAN    NAMES    FOR    THE   MONTHS 
OR   MOONS 

(HE  moon  goes  through  its  changes 
from  new  moon  to  new  moon  in 
twenty-eight  days.  The  Indians 
reckon  their  time  of  year  by 
these  changes  in  the  Night  Sun, 
as  they  call  the  moon. 

Tribes  living  in  different  parts 
of  America  have  various  names 
for  the  months,  which  they  call  Moons.  They  all  keep 
their  calendar  hung  in  the  sky,  and  it  is  never  lost  for 
any  length  of  time.  They  have  given  these  moons 
names  after  what  interests  them  most. 

One  nation  has  named  them  in  the  following  way. 
The  month  in  our  calendar  is  also  given,  so  that  you 
can  easily  guess  the  Indian's  reason  for  his  name  for 
the  month. 

January The  Cold  Moon. 

February The  Snow  Moon. 

March The  Green  Moon. 

April The  Moon  of  Plants. 

May The  Moon  of  Flowers. 

June The  Hot  Moon. 

39 


40  WIGWAM   STORIES 

July The  Moon  of  the  Deer. 

August The  Sturgeon  Moon. 

September The  Fruit  Moon. 

October The  Traveling  Moon. 

November The  Beaver  Moon. 

December The  Hunting  Moon. 

If  you  were  spending  the  year  among  the  Sioux  or 
Dakotas,  little  Winona  might  tell  you  that  January  is 
the  Hard  Moon. 

February  is  when  the  braves  and  the  boys  take  their 
dogs  and  hunt  the  raccoon;  hence,  they  call  it  the  'Coon 
Moon. 

The  Sioux  have  lived  for  a  long  time  in  the  north. 
They  know  the  effect  of  the  bright  sunshine  of  March 
when  it  shines  upon  the  snowdrifts.  It  is  called  the 
Moon  of  Snow-blindness. 

April  is  the  Egg  Moon.  It  is  the  moon  when  the 
wild  geese  lay  their  eggs,  and  the  Indians  gather  them 
for  food.  The  next  time  you  watch  the  dark  triangle 
of  wild  geese  flying  northward,  you  can  say  it  is  near 
the  time  of  the  Egg  Moon  of  the  Dakotas. 

May  is  the  Planting  Moon.  What !  You  did  not 
know  that  the  copper-colored  people  planted  anything  ? 
Oh,  yes,  they  do !  Remember  our  maize,  or  Indian 
corn,  is  one  great  gift  from  them. 

June  has  the  prettiest  name.  Bright,  beautiful  June 
that  we  all  love.  It  is  the  Strawberry  Moon.  The 


INDIAN    NAMES    FOR   THE    MONTHS  41 

luscious  wild  strawberries  are  more  delicate  in  flavor 
than  any  grown  in  the  gardens.  The  wild  Indian  has 
many  dainties. 

July,  our  red-white-and-blue  month,  is  their  Moon 
of  Red  Lilies.  Has  it  ever  been  your  good  fortune  to 
see  a  vast  tract  of  land  covered  with  these  gorgeous 
wild  tiger-lilies  ?  0  Moon  of  Red  Lilies,  how  beautiful 
you  make  our  western  prairies  !  In  this  same  moon 
the  wild  cherry  is  ripe,  and  many  tribes  know  it  as  the 
Cherry  Moon. 

August  is  the  Ripe  Moon.  Have  you  ever  heard  of 
the  Harvest  Moon  ?  Is  not  that  nearly  the  same  name  ? 
Seeds  from  thistle  and  the  milkweed  are  filling  the  air 
with  their  downy  carriers.  Wild  grasses  and  grains 
are  ready  for  the  gatherers,  and  the  maize  will  shortly 
be  ready  for  the  harvest. 

While  at  Lake  Superior,  some  time  ago,  we  saw 
Chippewa  Indians  in  their  birch-bark  canoes,  anchored 
in  what  seemed  to  be  a  very  reedy  bay.  We  found  out 
that  the  bay  was  filled  with  wild  rice  instead  of  reeds 
and  rushes.  It  was  the  time  of  their  wild-rice  gather 
ing.  Two  moons  are  given  names  referring  to  wild 
rice:  September  is  the  Ripe-rice  Moon;  October  is 
often  called  the  Harvest  Moon.  With  plenty  of  maize 
and  wild  rice  the  winter  is  not  dreaded.  The  Indian 
puts  away  his  winter  stores  with  much  the  same  care 
that  his  white  brother  uses;  he  stores  corn  in  pits 


42  WIGWAM   STORIES 

that  he  digs  in  the  earth.  He  could  learn  this  from 
the  squirrel. 

November  is  the  Moon  of  Michabo,  or  Indian  Sum 
mer.  Michabo  is  another  i  ame  for  Menabozho,  the 
Chippewa  Indian's  manitou  friend ;  he  has  given  them 
this  second  summer  of  the  year,  they  believe. 

December  is  the  Moon  of  Dropping  Horns.  The 
deer  lose  their  long  antlers  about  this  time,  and  the 
Indians  can  find  them  in  the  forests  where  the  deer 
trails  are. 

The  Indians  have  twelve  moons  in  their  year,  the 
same  number  that  we  have  in  our  calendar. 


CUSTOMS   OF   KICKAPOO,    SEMINOLE,   AND 
OTHER   TRIBES 


n^HE  Kickapoo  Indians  first  lived  in  what  is  now 
Illinois.  Their  present  home  is  in  the  Indian 
Territory.  One  of  their  peculiar  customs  is  that  they 
have  a  tribe  whipper  who  makes  his  weekly  rounds 
with  his  whip  to  punish  children,  and  in  this  way  the 
parents  save  themselves  from  the  pain  of  inflicting 
punishment  upon  their  children.  Indians  dislike  rude 
ness  or  noisy  behavior  when  there  should  be  quiet. 
Fire-water,  as  they  call  whiskey,  makes  them  forget 
the  manners  their  parents  taught  them. 

Many  of  the  Seminole  Indians  live  in  the  Everglades 
of  Florida.  They  are  a  tall,  dignified,  intelligent  race, 
and  resent  the  visits  of  white  people  unless  it  is  shown 
that  the  visitor  is  a  friend,  for  they  have  been  driven 
to  these  Everglades  by  reason  of  conquering  whites. 
They  live  in  roofed  huts  and  cultivate  several  kinds  of 
crops.  They  once  owned  rich  lands  in  upper  Florida 
and  Alabama.  Their  language  is  said  to  be  very 
musical. 

44 


SOME    TRIBAL    CUSTOMS  45 

The  Cherokee  and  Natchez  tribes  once  lived  in  Miss 
issippi  and  Louisiana.  They  were  very  wise  in  war 
and  had  many  things  which  they  manufactured  in 
times  of  peace.  They  carved  curious  shell  ornaments, 
which  are  often  found  in  southern  mounds. 

The  Flathead  Indians  of  the  west  bind  a  piece  of 
stiff  board  upon  the  forehead  of  their  papooses.  The 
child's  head  flattens  as  it  grows,  and  he  carries  his 
race  mark  through  life. 

The  Blackfoot  Indians  were  so  called  because  during 
a  retreat  the  burnt  prairie  grass  stained  their  moccasins 
as  black  as  the  blackest  cay  use  or  pony. 

The  term  Digger  Indians  has  been  given  to  various 
tribes  conquered  and  driven  from  their  fishing  and  hunt 
ing  grounds.  They  live  almost  wholly  upon  roots  of 
weeds  or  the  few  insects  and  small  animals  found  in 
the  plains  of  eastern  Utah  and  the  surrounding  coun 
try.  The  stronger  tribes  will  not  let  them  fish  in  lake 
or  stream,  and  their  whole  life  is  miserable. 

The  Indians  of  California  were  originally  very  brave 
and  warlike,  but  the  remnants  of  the  tribes  are  broken 
in  spirit  and  seem  broken-hearted.  Those  which  have 
drifted  or  have  been  driven  by  whites  and  red  men  into 
the  peninsula  of  southern  California  are  much  like  the 
Diggers. 

The  different  tribes  and  nations  scattered  over 
America  seemed  to  have  known  much  about  metals, 


46  WIGWAM   STORIES 

although  they  used  stone  arrow  points  and  stone  axes 
when  the  first  explorers  visited  their  homes. 

The  copper  mines  of  Lake  Superior  show  yet  where 
the  Indians  have  mined  in  them.  Gold  and  silver  orna 
ments  were  used  in  many  tribes  to  decorate  the  braves 
and  their  squaws.  Shells  were  carved  with  sharp  tools 
and  used  as  ornaments,  or  cut  small  into  wampum. 

Arrowheads  were  of  flint  or  jasper  and  were  made 
by  the  arrow  makers  of  the  tribe.  It  is  said  each 
nation  had  its  own  shape  of  arrowhead.  Some  pre 
ferred  very  small  points ;  some  chose  the  larger  ones. 

The  early  races  of  white  people  in  all  ancient  lands 
used  stone  for  many  purposes.  This  first  period  has 
been  called  the  Stone  Age ;  this  was  followed  by  the 
Copper  Age ;  then  came  the  Iron  Age.  The  Indians 
do  not  seem  to  have  used  iron  before  white  men 
came,  and  were  living  in  what  history  would  call 
the  Stone  Age. 


THE   INDIANS  WHO   LIVE  IN  BRICK   HOUSES 

rpHE  native  Indians  of  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
United  States  were  much  more  civilized  when 
discovered  than  the  wandering  tribes  in  other  parts  of 
the  country.  They  have  built  adobe  houses  for  many 
centuries.  These  houses  of  mud,  brick,  and  hewn  tim 
bers  cannot  be  removed  like  the  wigwams,  teepees,  or 
wickiups  of  the  other  tribes.  The  Spaniards  named 
these  Indians  Pueblos,  for  pueblo  is  the  Spanish  word 
for  village.  There  are  twenty-seven  Pueblo  towns. 

The  Pueblos  are  a  peaceful  people.  They  have  had 
time  to  invent  things  that  astonish  the  white  men  who 
have  seen  only  the  Indians  of  the  wandering  tribes. 

The  pueblo  of  Zuni  is  in  New  Mexico,  about  uwo 
hundred  miles  southeast  of  Santa  Fe.  This  Indian  town 
was  sought  for  by  Coronado  and  his  Spanish  soldiers. 
They  had  heard  marvelous  stories  of  the  silver,  gold,  and 
jewels  owned  by  the  red  people  living  north  of  Mexico ; 
but  the  Pueblos  were  brave  as  well  as  wise,  and  the 
history  of  that  Spanish  expedition  is  sad  reading. 

The  town  of  Zuni  is  built  upon  a  hill,  about  forty 
feet  above  the  bank  of  the  river  Zuni  ;  it  covers  about 

47 


48  WIGWAM    STORIES 

fifteen  acres.  The  town  is  like  a  great  beehive,  for 
the  houses  are  merely  rooms  built  one  over  the  other, 
each  family  living  in  a  few  small  rooms  which  are 
reached  by  means  of  ladders.  Some  houses  are  only 
two  stories  high,  while  others  are  fully  five  stories. 
The  wealthier  Indians  live  in  the  lower  houses,  except 
the  official  whose  duty  it  is  to  give  the  orders  of  the 
governor  from  the  housetop.  He  lives  with  his  family 
in  rooms  near  the  roof.  These  Zuiii  houses  are  built 
around  two  plazas,  or  squares,  with  several  streets  and 
covered  ways  to  connect  them  with  the  other  parts  of 
the  town.  The  mesa  called  Thunder  Mountain,  upon 
which  similar  homes  were  built  by  them  in  ancient 
times,  is  very  near  their  peaceful  village. 

Cliff-dwellings  have  been  found  that  are  entirely 
deserted,  built  by  a  very  ancient  people  of  whom  we 
know  little.  Curious  relics  of  dishes,  cloth,  and  orna 
ments  are  found  in  these  cliff-dwellings,  but  no  one 
knows  how  many  centuries  since  the  empty  houses 
were  filled  with  living  people,  and  no  one  knows  why 
they  were  deserted.  Some  have  thought  the  Zunis  are 
the  descendants  of  this  lost  race ;  others  think  them 
to  be  like  the  mound-builders. 

The  Zuni  Indians  weave  handsome  wool  blankets  in 
handmade  looms.  They  invented  these  looms  them 
selves.  They  sell  or  trade  these  blankets  to  Indians 
of  many  other  tribes. 


50  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  Zuni  and  other  Pueblos  make  very  good  dishes 
of  red  clay.  Their  common  cooking  ware  is  much  like 
the  dishes  seen  in  wigwams.  They  make  handsome 
pitchers,  vases,  and  table  dishes  of  a  brown  color. 
They  understand  the  working  and  coloring  of  clay, 
and  the  value  of  the  different  kinds.  They  make  a 
common  black  ware,  which  is  sometimes  used  instead 
of  the  red  ware. 

Their  very  best  work  is  of  a  cream-white  color,  and 
the  vases  and  dishes  are  handsomely  decorated  with 
colored  borders  and  pictures.  Many  travelers  have 
brought  home  fine  specimens  of  Zuni  dishes,  for  their 
town  is  not  far  from  the  railroad. 

The  Navajos  live  near  the  Zuilis.  Their  hogans,  or 
homes,  are  not  so  well  made  as  the  Zunis'  adobe  houses  ; 
they  are  low  adobe  huts.  The  Navajos  find  time  and 
have  the  skill  to  do  some  very  good  work  in  metals, 
although  their  tools  are  rude.  They  make  some  use 
of  iron,  but  their  best  work  is  shown  in  the  making 
and  carving  of  ornaments  and  other  articles  of  silver. 
They  also  have  invented  hand  looms  and  are  blanket 
weavers. 

All  the  Pueblos  make  handsome  water-tight  baskets 
of  elegant  shape  from  the  fibers  of  the  yucca  plant. 
This  plant,  sometimes  called  the  Spanish  bayonet,  from 
its  sharp-pointed  leaves,  grows  to  a  great  size  on  the 
plains.  The  Pueblos  color  the  fibers  in  some  manner 


INDIANS   WHO   LIVE   IN   BRICK   HOUSES        51 

and  weave  handsome  borders  of  black,  white,  or  yellow 
into  their  baskets.  These  are  used  for  flour  or  meal 
holders,  or  for  holding  water,  and  are  called  ollas. 

They  grind  their  maize  or  other  grain  by  hand 
between  stones.  They  raise  turkeys,  and,  as  they  are 
good  weavers,  they  sometimes  use  the  turkey  feathers 
in  weaving  a  downy  cloth. 

The  Apaches  live  near  the  Pueblos  and  are  well 
known  for  their  love  of  the  warpath.  They  are  not 
Village  Indians,  yet  are  noted  for  their  fine  basket 
weaving.  They  use  the  willows  found  in  their  country 
instead  of  the  yucca  fibers. 

The  different  tribes  of  Pueblos  often  use  stone  axes. 
It  is  believed  that  these  are  not  made  by  them  but 
were  found  in  the  deserted  cliff-dwellers'  homes. 

These  Village  Indians  make  use  of  a  plant  called 
soaproot,  the  root  of  which  will  make  water  foam  and 
will  cleanse  one's  skin  the  same  as  the  white  man's 
soap.  The  Indian  who  lives  in  a  teepee  does  not 
know  the  use  of  soap  and  is  not  anxious  for  a  bath. 

White  people  have  lived  for  years  among  the  Zuni 
and  other  Pueblos  and  have  found  them  patient,  kind, 
and  intelligent.  Some  of  these  whites  have  returned 
and  have  written  books  about  the  people  of  whose 
home  life  they  have  learned  so  much. 

Some  of  the  habits  of  the  Navajos  are  very  odd. 
After  the  death  of  one  of  their  tribe,  his  house,  or 


52  WIGWAM    STORIES 

hogan,  is  pulled  down ;  if  this  is  not  done,  every  one 
who  enters  it  fears  danger. 

A  Navajo  will  not  look  into  the  face  of  the  mother 
of  his  wife ;  when  they  talk  together  he  looks  on  the 
ground  or  in  another  direction.  It  is  said  a  Navajo 
once  forgot  himself  and,  looking  up,  became  blind. 
They  believe  that  the  souls  of  the  women  of  their 
tribe  enter  fish  when  they  leave  this  world ;  and  they 
rarely  eat  fish  for  that  reason.  Indian  customs  and 
manners  are  taught  to  their  children  with  just  as  much 
earnestness  as  white  people  teach  their  little  ones. 

All  the  Pueblos  make  curious  images  or  dolls  of  clay. 
These  may  possibly  be  idols,  but  are  not  always,  for 
both  old  and  young  sometimes  play  with  them  as  toys. 
They  are  a  religious  people.  They  believe  in  a  Great 
Spirit  and  in  a  future  life.  Their  forms  of  worship 
are  very  strange  and  sometimes  cruel. 

The  tribes  called  Pueblos  of  New  Mexico  are  not 
included  with  those  which  continue  to  live  in  the 
twenty-seven  Pueblo  towns,  for  whatever  may  have 
been  their  customs  in  past  centuries,  they  are  now  very 
different  from  the  Village  Indians,  who  still  live  and 
worship  after  the  manner  of  their  ancestors. 


MOKI  MAIDEN  IN  NATIVE  COSTUME 

From  a  Photograph 


THE   MOKI  INDIANS 

fT^HE  Moki  Indians  live  in  pueblos  the  same  as  the 
Zuni  people.  Their  name  is  also  spelled  Moqui 
and  Hopi.  The  Moki  pueblo  of  Walpi  is  in  Arizona. 
It  is  at  the  end  of  a  mesa  or  plateau  which  rises 
abruptly  seven  hundred  feet  above  the  desert.  It  is 
here  that  the  great  snake  dance  is  held  each  alternate 
autumn. 

The  Moki  weave  blankets  and  cloth  for  dresses, 
which  they  exchange  with  other  Pueblos  for  ponies, 
turquoise  beads,,  and  silver  ornaments  for  neck  or 
hair. 

The  Moki  maidens,  like  those  of  a  few  other  tribes, 
do  not  leave  their  straight  black  hair  hanging  down 
their  backs.  These  maidens  put  up  their  locks  in 
huge  puffs  over  each  ear.  These  puffs  are  to  repre 
sent  squash  blossoms.  The  married  women  braid  their 
hair  and  sometimes  fasten  it  in  a  knot  at  the  back  of 
the  head. 

All  the  water  used  in  this  elevated  pueblo  is  carried 
up  the  seven  hundred  feet  in  clay  ollas  by  the  women. 
It  is  like  a  scene  in  Asia  to  see  them  gathered  at  even 
ing  about  the  springs  at  the  foot  of  the  mesa. 

54 


THE   MOKI   INDIANS 


55 


The  Mokis  are  a  very  devout  people,  and  their 
young  men  are  taught  daily  in  the  kivas,  or  secret 
rooms,  by  the  wise  old  men  all  the  sacred  rites 
and  wisdom  of  their  fathers. 

Among  the  Mokis  the  kiva,  or 
estufa,  as  the  Spanish  call  it,  is 
underground  ;  among  the  Zuiiis 
it  is  above  the  ground,  but 


INTERIOR  OF  KIVA  WITH  SACRED  ALTAR 

entered  at  the  top  by  a  ladder.  In  it  is  a  sacred  flat 
altar,  usually  surrounded  by  prayer-sticks  called  bahos. 
These  sticks  have  a  feather  fastened  at  the  top,  to 
show  that  prayer  rises. 

These  bahos  are  always  planted  two  or  three  times 
a  year  by  the  water  ways,  to  do  reverence  to  the  water 
god  who  shows  himself  in  the  lightning.  They  believe 


56  WIGWAM   STORIES 

a  serpent  is  the  form  lightning  takes  when  on  earth ; 
hence  the  pictures  of  these  on  the  prayer-sticks,  and 
sometimes  on  the  sides  of  rocks. 

There  is  an  order  of  nuns  among  the  Pueblos  called 
Ko-Ko.  These  go  to  the  springs  in  the  early  morning 
and  place  the  bahos  in  the  banks,  so  that  rain  may 
come  on  the  corn,  beans,  and  pumpkins  which  have 
been  planted.  No  one  dares  to  remove  one  baho. 

The  Moki  Indians  have  stories  of  Coronado's  people, 
who  battled  with  them  in  1540. 


DAKOTA   OR   SIOUX 

rr^HE  name  the  French  gave  the  fierce,  strong  Dakotas 
is  Sioux,  which  is  the  way  they  pronounced  the 
name  given  them  by  their  Algonquin  neighbors.  This 
has  become  the  name  of  the  people,  and  Dakota  is  the 
language  which  they  speak. 

They  are  divided  into  many  bands,  each  with  a  chief 
for  a  leader.  His  friends  and  relatives  move  their 
teepees  wherever  this  chief  thinks  best  on  the  land  the 
Great  Father  in  Washington  has  reserved  for  them. 

They  are  very  brave  and  have  many  wise  men 
among  them.  The  chiefs  of  the  bands  are  always 
ready  to  follow  what  the  head  chief  of  the  nation 
commands.  The  head  chief  has  learned  that  the  Great 
Father  in  Washington  has  more  warriors  than  he,  and 
so  the  Sioux  are  not  sent  on  the  warpath  any  more. 

The  buffalo  and  antelope  are  gone  from  the  prairie. 
There  is  not  meat  enough  in  the  woods,  and  the  warlike 
Sioux  has  now  to  come  to  the  Indian  agency  to  get  his 
rations.  It  is  a  fine  sight  to  see  the  teepees  of  the 
bands  when  they  have  gathered  at  the  agency.  Even 

57 


58  WIGWAM   STORIES 

here  they  show  their  respect  to  the  head  chief  and  his 
followers,  for  his  teepees  are  placed  in  the  center  of 
the  camp.  The  greatest  chief  comes  next,  and  so  on, 
till  the  weakest  band  places  its  teepees  last. 

The  Sioux  who  have  been  long  in  the  south  do  not 
speak  like  their  northern  relatives.  For  example,  they 
say  Lakota  instead  of  Dakota.  The  northern  bands 
laugh  at  their  southern  brothers,  and  think  they  have 
been  trying  to  become  different.  Many  Sioux  boys 
and  girls  are  in  the  schools  at  the  agencies  learning  to 
write  and  to  read  in  English.  They  are  very  quick  to 
learn  and  can  draw  very  well. 

The  Sioux  women  make  such  beautiful  bead  work 
that  a  white  woman  thought  it  wise  to  teach  them  to 
make  lace  of  the  choicest  kind.  The  young  squaws 
and  some  of  the  Indian  boys  have  learned  to  make 
this  rare  point  lace  with  care  and  Avonderful  neatness. 
They  cannot  use  it;  but  the  money  they  get  for  it 
buys  food  and  clothes  for  them  and  their  relatives. 


INDIAN  GAMES 


!|pHE  Dakotas  play  their  ball  games  in  the 
hot  moons  of  the  summer  and  in  the  cold 
moons  of  |he  winter.  The  prairies  give 
wide  roorif  for  the  games  in  summer, 
and  the  ice  on  the  many  lakes  serves  as  winter  ball 
grounds  for  them. 

Large  spaces  are  needed,  for  there  are  many  players. 
There  is  only  one  ball,  but  there  are  as  many  bats  as 
players.  The  bats  are  about  thirty  inches  long,  with  a 
loop  at  the  lower  end;  this  is  laced  across  with  deer 
sinew,  to  make  a  pocket  in  which  the  ball  is  caught 
and  thrown. 

The  center  of  the  ball  ground  is  chosen.  Stakes  are 
set  many  feet  away  from  the  center,  on  opposite  sides, 
as  the  bounds  for  the  game.  Two  parties  of  equal 
numbers  are  chosen.  Each  party  chooses  its  own 
leader  or  chief. 

59 


60  WIGWAM   STOKIES 

The  chief  of  one  side  drops  his  ball  into  the  pocket 
of  his  bat  and  tosses  it  toward  the  center  ground  be 
tween  the  stakes.  Both  sides  rush  toward  the  place 
where  the  ball  may  fall,  each  brave  hoping  he  may  be 
the  lucky  one  to  catch  it ;  whoever  gets  the  ball  tosses 
it  with  his  bat  into  the  air  toward  his  side  of  the 
grounds.  Then  the  screaming,  howling  mob  of  players 
tears  across  the  field  to  the  place  where  the  ball  may 
fall  again.  The  ball  is  thrown  and  contended  for  until 
one  side  succeeds  in  throwing  it  beyond  the  bounds  of 
the  opposite  party. 

The  prizes  for  the  winning  side  have  hung  all  this 
time  on  the  prize  pole ;  and  dangling  in  the  air,  wait 
ing  the  finish  of  the  game,  are  the  knives,  tomahawks, 
blankets,  moccasins,  fine  buffalo  and  deerskin  robes 
which  the  winners  will  divide  among  themselves. 
Indian  girls  play  the  same  game  and  with  nearly  as 
much  vigor  and  skill  as  their  brothers. 

Always,  at  these  games,  the  old  men  and  squaws  sit 
or  stand  at  the  outside  of  the  ball  ground,  a  mass  of 
interested  spectators. 

The  ball  game  in  some  form,  it  seems,  has  been  the 
national  game  on  American  soil  since  before  American 
history  began. 

The  plum-stone  game  was  and  is  yet  played  by  the 
northern  Indian  tribes.  The  Dakotas  call  it  kansoo- 
kootaype,  which  simply  means  "  shooting  plum-stones." 


INDIAN   GAMES  61 

Each  plum-stone  is  painted  black  on  one  side  and  red 
on  the  other  side.  The  stones  are  also  cut  on  one  side 
to  make  them  of  different  value  according  to  the  mean 
ing  of  the  marks  cut. 

These  black  and  red  stones  are  put  into  a  large  shal 
low  dish  of  clay  or  metal.  The  dish  is  struck  against 
the  nearest  object  with  a  sharp  blow.  The  stones  fall 
black  or  red  side  up,  and  the  betting  on  the  number  of 
black  or  red  stones  makes  the  game. 

It  is  pure  gambling.  The  prizes  are  valuable, — furs, 
clothing,  food,  everything  goes  in  the  excitement  of 
the  game.  An  Indian  may  be  beggared  in  a  minute. 

Father  Hennepin  describes  the  excitement  of  the 
game  in  his  Desertions  of  Louisiana,  published  in 
Paris  in  1683.  This  book  is  a  description  of  his  travels 
at  that  time  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  to  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony  and  beyond.  Father  Hennepin 
said: 

"  There  are  some  so  given  to  the  game  that  they  will 
gamble  away  even  their  greatcoat.  Those  who  conduct 
the  game  scream  at  the  top  of  their  voices  when  they 
rattle  the  platter;  and  they  strike  their  shoulders  so 
hard  as  to  make  themselves  black  and  blue  with  the 
blow." 

The  Indian  boys  have  their  pony  races  and  running 
matches.  They  play  much  like  white  boys,  but  with 
more  cruelty. 


SIOUX  AND   CHIPPEWAS    OF   MINNESOTA 


|HE  Iroquois  drove  the  Chippewas, 
or  0  jib  ways,  from  their  hunting 
grounds  and  from  fishing  in 
many  waters  in  central  New 
York ;  as  the  bands  increased 
and  more  needed  food,  many 
started  westward,  and  Chip- 
pewa  names  of  lakes  and  rivers 
mark  their  progress  toward  the  Mississippi.  They 
made  a  long  halt  at  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  for  many 
fish  were  in  these  waters,  but  there  was  no  place  to 
plant  their  corn.  They  built  their  wigwam  fires 
farther  westward  each  year,  until  they  reached  what 
is  now  northern  Minnesota.  Here  they  found  the 
Dakotas,  or  Sioux,  had  possession  of  the  beautiful  lake 
region,  which  was  so  nearly  like  the  country  by  the 
River  of  Islands  in  the  east. 

The  Chippewas  had  no  wish  to  go  back,  and  their 
warriors  and  chiefs  were  too  brave  to  think  that  even 
the  fierce  western  tribes  could  conquer  them.  They 
built  their  wigwams  on  islands  and  points  of  land  pro 
jecting  into  the  lake,  for  these  made  good  places  of 


SIOUX   AND   CHIPPEWAS    OF   MINNESOTA       63 

landing  for  their  birch-bark  canoes,  and  also  gave  them 
a  better  chance  to  watch  for  their  enemies  than  in  the 
thick  forests  of  pine,  birch,  and  cedar. 

Each  band  of  Chippewas  has  yet  many  stories  to  tell 
of  the  terrible  battles  with  the  "  nadoway-sioux,"  as  the 
French  trappers  and  hunters  call  the  Algonquin  word 
which  means  "  hidden  enemies."  This  warfare  began 
years  before  the  time  of  our  war  of  the  Revolution  and 
did  not  end  for  nearly  a  century.  The  Chippewas 
fought  for  their  new  home  very  bravely,  and  the  Sioux 
were  just  as  brave  in  trying  to  hold  what  they  believed 
to  be  the  center  of  the  world  and  nearest  like  the 
Happy  Hunting  Grounds  of  the  future  life.  There  is 
a  very  extensive  view  of  the  Mississippi  at  its  junction 
with  the  Minnesota  which  is  called  by  the  Indians 
Mendota,  or  the  "  gathering  of  the  waters."  The  con 
tending  tribes  fought  fiercely  to  hold  or  to  obtain  this 
place,  for  here  these  red  men,  with  their  love  for  the 
beautiful  in  nature,  had  decided  was  where  many  of 
their  gods  liked  best  to  stay.  The  building  of  Fort 
Snelling  at  this  point  and  the  arrival  of  white  men 
put  a  stop  to  the  battles,  and  neither  tribe  could  claim 
Mendota. 

The  Great  Father  in  Washington  made  a  treaty 
with  the  Chippewas  whereby  they  hold  much  of  their 
hard-won  lake  region  as  long  as  they  keep  their  treaty 
promises ;  now  that  there  is  peace  between  the  Indian 


64  WIGWAM   STORIES 

nations  they  are  willing  to  admit  that  each  had  many 
heroes  in  war  and  council. 

During  the  conflict  a  trader  attempted  to  bargain 
with  the  Sioux  for  furs,  after  having  had  dealings  with 
a  band  of  Chippewas.  This  band,  wild  with  fury  at 
what  they  called  the  trader's  treachery,  broke  open  his 
storehouse  and  destroyed  or  took  all  his  stores  of  furs 
and  other  articles.  They  were  called  Pillagers  by  the 
French  and  other  bands,  and  hold  the  name  yet  and 
are  proud  of  it,  for  the  deed  was  done  openly  and  for 
the  sake  of  their  nation. 

The  Pillagers  are  nearly  all  Blanket  Indians.  They 
live  in  wigwams  in  summer  and  cover  these  with  bark 
huts  in  winter  for  greater  warmth.  The  wigwams  are 
covered  with  woven  mats  made  of  reeds  or  grass  and 
birch  bark.  The  huts  are  like  a  one-room  house  and 
are  covered  also  with  pine  or  birch  bark.  Each  spring 
these  Indians  make  large  quantities  of  maple  sugar, 
which  they  pack  in  mokuks,  or  birch-bark  baskets,  and 
sell  or  exchange  at  the  stores  in  towns.  During  the 
summer  they  pick  and  sell  the  berries  which  grow  near 
the  woods  and  lakes.  They  have  gardens  of  maize, 
squash,  pumpkins,  beans,  and  onions,  and  some  raise 
potatoes.  Their  meat  supply  is  getting  scarce,  as  the 
deer,  moose,  and  bear  are  being  hunted  so  freely  by 
white  men.  The  men  often  dress  in  true  Indian  cos 
tumes,  with  buckskin  leggings,  bead  work  ornaments, 


* 


66  WIGWAM   STOEIES 

blankets,  and  a  feather  in  their  scalp  lock  if  they  have 
killed  an  enemy-  this  honor  is  hard  to  give  up,  and 
even  a  murderer  of  one  of  his  own  tribe  has  dared  to 
wear  the  eagle  feather. 

There  is  a  large  government  school  at  Leech  Lake, 
and  many  of  the  boys  and  girls  have  learned  the 
customs  and  books  of  the  white  people,  but  when  they 
return  to  their  wigwam  homes  there  is  little  chance  to 
change  the  home  life,  except  in  very  simple  ways. 

Some  of  the  finest  work  in  lace,  which  has  been 
taught  in  the  Indian  schools,  has  been  done  by  these 
Chippewas  at  Leech  Lake.  They  were  so  artistic  in 
their  bead  and  basket  work  that  a  lady  who  saw  the 
point  lace  made  in  the  mission  schools  in  Japan  decided 
to  teach  it  to  all  the  squaws  who  would  learn  the  art. 
Their  success  has  been  a  pleasure  to  her  and  to  them. 
It  brings  the  money  with  which  to  buy  food. 

The  lakes  near  the  source  of  the  Great  River  abound 
in  wild  rice,  which  is  gathered  in  August  and  stored  in 
mokuks  for  winter  use.  The  wild  swan,  geese,  and 
ducks  also  feed  upon  it,  and  they  make  good  hunting. 

The  extensive  pine  forests  owned  by  the  Chippewas 
have  attracted  many  white  men  who  are  trying  to  gain 
possession  of  them,  but  the  wise  chiefs  know  their 
value  and  their  people's  need,  and  they  remember  the 
years  of  warfare  when  the  land  was  won ;  neither  have 
they  yet  broken  their  treaty  promises.  A  few  years 


SIOUX   AND   CHIPPEWAS   OF   MINNESOTA       67 

ago  the  courts  wanted  several  of  the  Leech  Lake 
Indians  for  witnesses  in  a  trial.  It  was  cold,  and  if 
the  men  went  their  families  would  suffer,  for  they  must 
be  gone  some  weeks.  The  old  chief  would  not  let 
them  go  until  the  government  promised  money  to  sup 
port  their  families.  The  white  men  in  council  did  not 
think  best  to  make  the  promise,  and  the  chief  refused 
to  send  the  witnesses.  The  soldiers  came  to  take  the 
men  forcibly.  There  was  a  battle,  and  soldiers  fell  and 
much  money  was  spent,  but  still  the  chief  has  not  given 
up  the  men.  The  white  people  feel  that  the  Indian 
chief  had  much  in  his  favor,  for  he  would  not  see  his 
people  suffer;  the  squaws  and  papooses  must  be  cared 
for,  and  he  had  not  the  money  with  which  to  buy  food 
for  them. 

The  Sioux  in  southern  Minnesota  made  an  uprising 
during  the  Civil  War.  Some  friendly  Indians  warned 
the  whites  of  the  coming  troubles  and  helped  them  to 
escape.  A  monument  erected  in  1900  to  these  good 
Indians  shows  the  friendly  feeling  of  the  whites  to 
their  rescuers.  These  Indians  were  called  traitors  by 
the  Sioux  and  had  to  flee  for  their  own  lives.  Some 
of  them  settled  at  Mendota  and  are  much  respected 
by  their  white  friends.  The  son  of  one  became  an 
Episcopal  minister.  The  present  chief  of  all  the 
Chippewas  is  also  a  minister  of  the  same  church  and 
an  able  leader  of  his  people. 


.CHIEF   LOGAN  AND   OTHERS 


>HE  Delaware  Indians  of  eastern 
Pennsylvania  have  always  called 
the  Iroquois  the  Mingo  Indians. 

Skikelling  was  a  Mingo.  He 
was  chief  of  the  Cayugas,  one 
of  the  most  intelligent  tribes  of 
the  Iroquois  union.  The  son  of 
Skikelling  was  also  a  chief.  He 
is  celebrated  in  the  history  of  Pennsylvania  as  Chief 
Logan. 

When  a  babe  Chief  Logan  was  brought  by  his  father 
to  Fort  Augusta  in  1742,  to  be  baptized  by  the  Mora 
vian  missionaries.  Hence  his  American  name,  which 
is  famous  in  history  and  romance. 

There  Avas  another  Chief  Logan  who  was  for  a  time 
chief  among  the  Delawares.  This  chief  lost  an  eye  in 
a  battle  and  was  then  deprived  of  his  position,  as  a 
chief  must  be  physically  perfect. 

History  has  preserved  the  names  of  numbers  of 
Indians  famous  in  war  and  peace. 

Samoset,  who  greeted  the  Pilgrims  with  the  cordial 
"  Welcome,  Englishmen,"  is  one  of  the  first  on  the  list. 

08 


CHIEF   LOGAN   AND   OTHERS  69 

Squanto,  Massasoit,  Canonicus,  Miantonomoh  are  well 
known  in  New  England  history.  These  are  the  names 
of  men  who  kept  their  promises  and  fought  bravely 
for  their  white  friends. 

King  Philip  saw  the  ruin  of  his  country  and  peo 
ple  and  commanded  an  uprising.  He  was  a  terrible 
warrior,  and  his  name  is  both  famous  and  infamous. 
Tecumseh,  Red  Cloud,  Black  Hawk,  and  others  are 
well  known  in  western  history.  These  names  and 
hundreds  of  others  are  kept  in  memory  as  the  names 
of  cities,  rivers,  or  lakes. 


A   NAVAJO   MEDICINE   CHANT 

r~PHE  Navajos  give  a  medicine  dance  and  chant  a  long 
song  when  a  sick  person  asks  for  this  service. 
This  chant  is  the  story  in  song  of  the  capture  and 
escape  of  a  young  Navajo  brave.  He  is  helped  by  his 
people's  gods,  who  are  like  the  creatures  that  live  in 
his  own  country. 

This  is  the  part  of  the  chant  telling  of  his  escape : 

"  He  came  to  the  house  of  the  Butterfly.  It  was 
filled  with  butterflies  and  rainbows. 

66  Kacluge,  the  great  Butterfly,  welcomed  him  to  his 
lodge.  His  wife  took  the  young  brave  by  the  hand. 
He  was  welcome. 

"  She  left  the  room,  but  came  back  with  a  great  pearl 
dish  in  her  hand.  It  was  a  sea-shell  filled  with  water. 
She  gave  him  soap  weed.  He  washed  and  was  white. 
He  dried  his  hands  with  meal  and  painted  his  face 
with  white  earth ;  then  he  was  fair  as  a  white  man. 

70 


A   NAVAJO   MEDICINE   CHANT  71 

"  Kacluge  gave  him  fine  white  moccasins.  He  gave 
him  a  collar  of  beaver  skin,  and  a  whistle  to  call  for 
help. 

"His  arms  looked  like  wings,  for  plumed  prayer- 
sticks  were  fastened  to  them  in  the  Butterfly's  lodge. 

"  The  young  man  was  no  longer  tired.  He  was  strong 
again,  and  like  a  white  butterfly  in  beauty.  Kacluge 
fed  him  with  white  corn  meal  mixed  with  pure  water. 
He  slept  in  the  house  of  the  Butterfly. 

"  In  the  morning  the  young  Navajo  stepped  on 
the  white  sand.  The  wife  of  the  Butterfly  put  two 
burning  lines  of  white  lightning  before  his  feet.  He 
stepped  upon  these,  and  his  white  moccasins  fastened  to 
the  lightning. 

" '  Now/  said  the  Butterfly,  <  the  lightning  is  yours  ; 
follow  where  it  leads.' 

"  With  one  step  he  stood  on  a  high  hill.  He  saw  a 
flash  of  lightning  fill  the  valley. 

" '  It  is  the  trail  I  must  follow/  said  the  young 
Navajo.  Across  the  valley,  on  the  trail  of  the  light 
ning,  he  ran  to  the  mountains ;  and  now,  pure  in  face, 
in  heart,  and  with  white  feet,  the  lightning  led  him 
home." 

Adapted  from  Powell's  Report. 


HOW  THE  CAYE  PEOPLE  FOUND  DRY  LAND 
ON  THE  EARTH 

(Zuxi  CHANT) 

N  the  old  days  all  men  lived  in  caves 
in  the  center  of  the  earth.  There 
were  four  caves,  one  over  the 
other.  Men  first  lived  in  the 
lowest  cave.  It  was  dark. 
There  was  no  light,  and  the 
cave  was  crowded.  All  men 
were  full  of  sorrow. 

"  The  Holder  of  the  Paths  of  Life,  the  Sun-father, 
heard  the  people  cry.  He  created  two  children  for 
himself,  and  they  fell  to  the  earth  to  help  the  cave 
people. 

"  The  Sun-father  gave  his  two  children  eternal  youth. 
He  gave  them  power  to  do  things  as  he  would  do  them. 
He  gave  them  gifts.  One  gift  was  a  painted  bow  that 
reached  from  one  end  of  the  sky  to  the  farther  end. 
It  was  the  rainbow.  He  gave  them  an  arrow  of  fire. 
It  was  the  lightning.  He  gave  them  a  great  shield 


INTERIOR  OF  ZUNI  HOUSE 

From  a  Photograph 


74  WIGWAM   STORIES 

like  his  own.  The  shield  was  a  net  of  cotton  cords  on 
a  hoop  of  wood,  and  the  last  gift,  a  great  magic  war 
knife  of  flint,  was  fastened  to  the  center  of  the  shield. 

"  After  the  two  children  had  cut  the  face  of  the  earth 
with  the  stone  war  knife,  they  rode  on  the  magic  shield 
to  the  lowest  cave  where  men  lived.  There  they  lived 
with  mankind  as  leaders. 

"  The  priests  prayed  to  the  San-children  for  help  in 
the  darkness.  The  Sun-children  led  mankind  into  the 
second  cave ;  it  was  still  all  darkness.  Men  asked  the 
priests  to  pray  for  more  help.  They  came  to  the  Sun- 
children,  and  the  people  were  led  into  the  third  world 
or  cave. 

"  This  was  a  larger  world  than  the  other  two.  It 
was  like  twilight  in  this  cave,  but  at  first  all  thought 
that  they  had  reached  the  blazing  sun,  it  was  so  light. 

"  After  a  thousand  years  this  cave  became  crowded. 
Men  sought  the  priests  and  prayed  them  to  find  some 
way  to  help  them. 

"  The  two  Sun-children  cut  their  way  through  the 
cave  above  them,  and  led  the  people  out  upon  the 
earth.  It  was  only  a  small  island,  for  all  the  rest 
was  water. 

66  Men  covered  their  faces  with  their  hands,  for  the 
light  made  them  blind.  They  fell  down  and  tried  to 
hide  in  the  sand,  they  were  so  hot.  The  people  were 
taught  to  make  clothing  of  yucca  fiber.  Their  eyes 


THE    CAVE   PEOPLE  75 

were  like  owls'  eyes,  and  they  covered  them  with  their 
hands  till  they  were  strong. 

"  The  Sun-children  led  the  people  over  the  quaking 
earth  to  the  east,  where  the  Sun-father  had  his  home. 

"  The  Sun-children  were  told  to  dry  the  earth.  They 
put  the  magic  shield  upon  the  earth  and  laid  the  rain 
bow  upon  it.  They  put  arrows  of  lightning  to  the 
north,  south,  east,  and  west,  and  the  arrows  crossed 
each  other.  The  older  brother  shot  with  an  arrow 
the  lightning  arrows  where  they  crossed  upon  the 

rainbow. 

"  Thlu-tchu  !  the  lightning  arrows  shot  toward  every 
point.  Fire  rolled  over  the  face  of  the  earth.  The 
earth  was  dried  when  the  fire  storm  was  over. 

«  The  earth  was  then  full  of  great  beasts  that  had 
lived  in  the  water.  The  Sun-children  shot  the  beasts 
with  their  arrows  ;  then  the  beasts  became  stone.  The 
people  were  free  to  go  on  the  earth  wherever  they 

wanted  to  go. 

"Thus  the  people  were  led  out  of  the  deep  caves; 
thus  the  land  became  dry,  and  men  came  to  live  on  the 
earth." 

From  report  by  F.  II.  Cashing,  who  was  adopted  by  the  Zunis. 


PAIIT  II 

TRADITIONS    AND    MYTHS 


Copyright,  1U01,  by  Ginn  &  Company 

THE  INDIAN  STORY-TELLER 

Original  Painting  by  Angel  de  Cora  (Hinook-mahiwi-kilinaka) 


INTRODUCTORY  -  -  INDIAN   STORIES 


fTTHE  Indians,  when  trying  to  speak  English,  often 
use  very  short  sentences  with  easy  words,  just  as 
foreigners  do.  They  will  repeat  a  statement  in  different 
ways,  so  that  their  listeners  will  be  sure  to  understand  ; 
this  makes  the  stories  they  tell  sound  very  queer 
sometimes. 

The  Indians  do  not  like  to  have  any  one  laugh  at 
them.  It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  get  them  to  tell  their 
legends  about  trees,  rocks,  or  living  creatures.  They 
once  believed  that  everything  had  its  manitou,  or  spirit, 
which  took  care  of  it,  but  by  their  contact  with  the 
white  people  they  have  lost  much  of  their  fear  of  these 
manitous,  and  also  much  of  their  faith  in  their  power. 

The  paleface  must  show  himself  a  very  good  friend 
indeed  before  he  is  allowed  to  hear  the  stories  told 
to  native  guests  or  to  the  children.  The  white  friend 
may  be  a  hunter,  and  then  his  Indian  guide  will  tell  in 
his  own  way  stories  connected  with  objects  seen  by 
them  in  the  forest,  on  the  plain,  or  on  the  mountain, 

79 


80  WIGWAM    STORIES 

Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  an  American  geologist,  was 
much  among  the  red  men,  from  eastern  New  York  to 
the  source  of  the  Mississippi,  which  he  discovered.  He 
married  the  granddaughter  of  a  chief.  He  was  allowed 
to  hear  the  ancient  legends,  and  published  them  in 
prose  form  in  1830. 

Henry  W.  Longfellow  read  them  with  so  much  inter 
est  that  he  told  them  again  in  his  beautiful  poem  of 
Hiawatha,  weaving  into  the  story  the  bride  Minnehaha 
of  whom  the  Indians  have  no  legend. 

The  Ojibways,  or  Chippewas,  tell  stories  of  a  hero 
called  by  them  Menabozho.  He  is  called  the  Foolish 
or  Sly  One  ;  he  is  always  playing  tricks,  for  which  he 
is  usually  punished.  Many  of  these  Chippewa  stories 
which  they  are  telling  of  him  even  now  are  woven 
into  the  poem  of  Hiawatha,  as  the  poet  thought  that 
Iroquois  name  more  musical  than  Menabozho,  and,  like 
many  others,  supposed  the  Iroquois  and  the  Chippewas 
to  be  the  same  people. 

As  they  have  no  written  language,  their  legends  may 
change  a  little ;  the  same  story  may  be  told  in  different 
ways,  and  the  words  they  use  may  have  various  forms. 


I.     IAGOO,   THE   GREAT   STORY-TELLER 


(ALGONQUIN) 

HE    white    man    laughs    much.      The 
Indian  is  wise.     He  can  see  a  joke, 
but  he  does  not  laugh  as  much  as  the 
white    man.     The    papoose    and    the 
squaw  may  laugh.     The  brave  must 
not  let  his  face  show  what  he  feels. 
It  is  not  wise. 
The  white  man  has  stories  to  tell  his  children,  and 
his   children   laugh.      The  Indian   tells  the   stories   of 
lagoo   to  his  children.     The   teepee   is   shut,  for  it  is 
winter,  and  you  cannot  hear  the  papoose  laugh. 

The  white  man  when  he  tells  a  story  which  is  not 
true  says,  "  Once  on  a  time."  The  Indian  says,  "  My 
grandfather  told  me."  The  papooses  know  when  the 
story  is  true.  An  Indian  teaches  his  children  to  tell 
the  truth ;  his  children  are  wise ;  they  speak  the  truth 
to  their  tribe. 

Lame  Buffalo  could  tell  good  stories.  His  children 
were  happy,  and  they  laughed  often  in  their  father's 
teepee.  There  was  a  fire  of  sticks  in  the  middle  of 

81 


82  WIGWAM   STORIES 

the  teepee,  but  the  smoke  was  not  bad  ;  it  went  out  of 
the  teepee  by  the  top  of  the  poles. 

Lame  Buffalo  sat  with  his  wife  White  Deer  and  their 
children  around  the  fire  in  the  teepee.  The  oldest  boy 
asked  for  a  story. 

Lame  Buffalo  told  this  story  of  lagoo: 

"  In  the  days  of  my  grandfather,  lagoo  used  to  come 
often  to  the  lodges  of  our  tribe. 

"lagoo  was  tall.  He  was  straight  as  a  pine  that 
stands  alone  on  the  hilltop.  He  was  always  hungry. 
He  would  come  to  a  lodge  of  our  tribe,  my  grand 
father  said,  and  would  look  at  the  duck  the  squaw 
was  roasting.  He  would  tell  her  no  squaw  could 
make  such  a  fire  as  she  could.  No  one  could  bake  in 
the  ashes  as  she  could.  When  the  duck  was  done,  the 
squaw  would  put  it  on  a  stone  by  lagoo.  She  and  her 
papooses  had  no  duck.  They  were  hungry,  but  lagoo 
did  not  go  away  hungry. 

"  The  braves  were  always  glad  to  see  lagoo,  for  his 
stories  were  never  the  same.  He  saw  things  no  other 
Indian  ever  saw.  He  knew  more  than  any  other  brave 
ever  knew  ;  he  said  so  himself.  He  never  went  into 
battle,  for  he  had  much  to  keep  him  away  ;  yet  he  wore 
eagle  feathers  in  his  scalp  lock.  He  told  great  stories  of 
battles,  but  no  one  ever  saw  him  when  he  was  fighting. 
It  is  not  wise  to  look  around  in  battle." 


IAGOO,  THE    GREAT    STORY-TELLER  83 

"  lagoo  told  my  grandfather  this  story  of  the  mos 
quitoes  that  lived  on  the  marsh.  His  tribe  had  their 
teepees  by  this  marsh. 

66  lagoo  said  that  he  heard  one  day  a  great  roaring. 
It  was  like  ten  bears,  but  he  was  the  only  brave  who 
dared  to  go  out  to  see  what  the  roaring  was.  He  saw 
mosquitoes  flying  in  the  tamarack  trees  in  the  swamp, 
but  he  could  not  tell  the  trees  from  the  mosquitoes, 
they  were  both  so  big. 

"  He  killed  three  mosquitoes  with  his  war  club.  He 
shot  them  first  with  his  arrows.  lagoo  tore  off  the  left 
w^ing  of  one,  and  he  made  a  sail  for  his  birch-bark 
canoe  from  that  wing. 

"  He  called  to  his  wife.  His  wife  heard,  for  his  voice 
and  his  war  club  drove  away  the  mosquitoes.  His  wife 
came  out  to  see  the  battle,  but  they  were  gone.  She 
tore  off  the  bill  of  one  of  the  slain  mosquitoes  and  used 
it  to  dig  with,  and  she  used  it  twelve  moons." 

"  Ugh  !     It  is  good,"  said  the  oldest  boy. 

"Another  time  lagoo  was  on  a  trail.  The  trail  was 
a  creek  with  no  water.  It  went  through  the  land  of 
the  river  where  the  buffaloes  feed  when  it  is  wet. 

"  The  trail  was  wide  and  full  of  sand.  The  dry  grass 
was  on  the  side  of  it.  lagoo  saw  on  the  sand  of  the 
trail  a  new  animal.  It  was  far  from  him,  but  it  was 
large.  He  could  see  it-  It  was  long  as  a  wildcat,  but  it 


84  WIGWAM   STORIES 

had  no  hair  like  the  wildcat.  It  had  two  horns  like  the 
buffalo.  It  had  many  legs,  and  its  eyes  were  like  fire. 

"  lagoo  took  his  war  club  with  his  two  hands.  He 
walked  like  a  brave  in  battle.  He  ran  on  the  trail  to 
kill  the  strange  beast.  He  raised  his  war  club  to  strike 
it,  but  it  was  nothing  but  a  big  ant  dragging  a  rabbit 
to  its  hole  in  the  trail.  lagoo  sat  down  in  the  sand 
and  laughed,  while  the  ant  pulled  the  rabbit  into  the 
ant-hole.  The  rabbit  was  killed  by  the  ant.  lagoo 
said  so,  and  he  knew  it.  The  ant  killed  the  rabbit  with 
its  horns." 

"  Ugh  !  ugh  !   ugh  !  "  said  the  boys  around  the  fire. 

White  Deer  laughed,  and  her  daughters  laughed. 

"  Tell  another,"  said  the  boys. 

"  My  grandfather  said  that  lagoo  told  of  the  willow 
trees.  lagoo  went  to  the  willow  trees  to  take  some 
of  the  little  creeping-cats  from  them.  They  are  the 
flowers  that  come  when  the  snow  has  melted. 

"  The  willow  trees  looked  small  to  lagoo.  He  broke 
off  a  branch  and  went  to  get  one  on  the  other  side  of 
the  tree.  He  made  a  heavy  trail  around  the  tree  to 
mark  the  bush.  The  sun  was  over  his  head  when  he 
began  to  make  the  trail.  He  walked  around  that  one 
willow  bush,  and  the  sun  was  going  down  in  the  lake 
when  he  was  done.  It  was  a  long  trail.  No  one  but 
lagoo  ever  saw  such  a  willow  bush." 


IAGOO,   THE    GREAT    STORY-TELLER  85 

White  Deer  laughed.  She  had  gathered  many  wil 
lows  for  weaving. 

The  oldest  boy  looked  at  his  brothers.  They  were 
laughing  too.  He  did  not  laugh,  but  said  "  Ugh  !  "  like 
a  great  chief. 

Lame  Buffalo  looked  at  the  fire.  White  Deer  put  on 
more  sticks  and  blew  the  fire  with  her  breath  ;  when  it 
began  to  blaze  Lame  Buffalo  went  on  with  more  stories 
of  lagoo. 

"  My  grandfather  said  that  lagoo  went  in  the  cold 
moon  of  winter  to  the  south.  He  went  alone  in  his 
canoe.  His  tribe  was  in  the  far  north,  in  the  fur 
country.  lagoo  liked  to  fish.  His  wife  could  hunt  for 
the  fur  skins,  for  it  is  cold  in  the  far  north. 

"  lagoo  let  his  canoe  drift  like  a  leaf  as  he  fished.  It 
drifted  near  the  shore  of  the  river,  then  lagoo  stepped 
out  on  the* shore.  It  sank  under  his  feet.  As  the 
water  came  over  where  he  stepped,  he  saw  that  he  had 
not  stepped  on  land.  He  had  stepped  on  a  thick  lily 
leaf. 

"  lagoo  jumped  back  into  his  canoe.  He  broke  the 
stem  of  the  lily  leaf  with  his  fishing  spear  and  put  the 
great  leaf  in  his  canoe.  It  covered  him  and  the  canoe. 
He  dried  the  leaf  and  rolled  it  in  a  pack.  He  went 
back  to  the  far  north  when  he  had  fished  all  he  wanted 
to,  and  he  gave  the  leaf  to  his  squaw.  She  was  glad.  It 


8C  WIGWAM    STOKJKS 

was  like  a  wide  buffalo  skin  ;  she  made  dresses  for  hcr- 
self  and  her  daughters  out  of  it.  No  other  squaws  had 
such  fine  drcnses." 

White  Deer  smiled,  and  the  little  girls  laughed.  They 
krjevv  the  pond-lily  leaven  were  small  in  the  lakes;  they 
could  not  be  HO  wide  in  a  river. 

66  It  in  a  story  for  0quaw0/'  said  the  oldest  boy. 

"We  will  go  tx^  Hleep,"  naid  I^arnr;  Huffalo,  hin  father. 

The  next  night  Lame  liuiTalo  told  thJHHtory  of  lagoo 
for  the  boyn : 

"  A  white  man  gave  lagoo  a  gun,  HO  my  grandfather 
naid.  He  could  nhoot  better  than  any  white,  man. 

"  lagoo  went  hunting.  It  waH  the  time  for  ducks. 
He  went  in  bin  eano<^  and  he  hid  in  the  rice  by  the 
ducks.  '1'fie  ducks  flew  up  and  made  the  sun  dark. 
He  Jay  on  his  back  and  shot  straight  into  the  (lock  of 
ducks.  A  swan  fell  dead  into  his  canoe.  Tts  head  was 
shot  olT;  the  ducks  fell  around  his  canoe  like  hail  in  a 
hailstorm  ;  the  water  was  black  with  the  ducks  he  shot. 
He  [/iled  them  up  like  a  great  teepee  on  the  shore.  He 
shot  them  all  with  one  gunshot. 

"The  shot  from  his  gun  fell  back  into  the  lake  ;  it 
struck  two  loons  and  killed  them.  The  shot  fell  through 
the  loons  and  killed  a  muskalongc  ;  this  is  the  great  fish 
that  lives  in  the  lakes.  No  one  else  ever  fired  such  a 
bhut  as  did  lagoo.  He  told  this  to  my  grandfather/' 


IAUOO.   TIIK    tiKKAT    STOKY   TKU.KK  87 

"It   is  good,*'  said  tin*  hoys. 
"Toll  another,"  said  \Yhite  IWr. 

"  Ligoo  went  hunting  in  iln»  Hunting  Moon.  Mr 
killed  a  ti»Teal  door  and  llnv\\  ii  on  his  haek.  ll  was 
heavy,  hnl  he  innsl  luWO  lood  in  his  leepee. 

"  lie  sal  do\\  n  on  a  slump  lo  ivsi .  lie  \\as  \er\ 
still,  and  he  saw  the  Li;reat  elks  o%o  l>\  him  on  their 
(rail  to  the  tar  north.  It  \\as  like  a  i/real  trihe  ^oin^ 
iu>rth.  Tlu»  trail  the\  made  was  deep,  and  the\  did 
not  see  nor  smell  la^'oo. 

"  TllO  first  elk  had  horns  like  a  i^'real  tree.  lie  was 
very  hig ;  lai^'oo  \\anletl  him;  las^'oo  ran  swifter  llian 
all  the  elks  ;  he  eame  lo  the  leader;  he  shot  (he  leader 
of  the  elks;  he  fell  like  a  tree  in  the  forest  ;  la<',oo 
lilted  the  elk  to  throw  him  over  his  shoulder;  tlu»elk 
horns  struck  the  deer  horns.  las.';oo  kne\\  (hen  that  he 
had  earned  a  big  door  all  da\.  lagoo  \\as  not  tired. 
He  him";  the  deer  in  a  live  and  earned  the  elk  home. 
No  other  hra\e  in  his  Irihe  had  e\er  hrou^ht  home  an 
elk  with  sueh  horns,  la^'oosaid  so  to  my  grandfather." 

I.  MM,-  UiilTalo    i.'i'p.-.l 

Tliore  are  iiunv-  stories  of  lagoo,  tin*  L',rea(  slory- 
tc^ller,  hut,  Lame  HnlTalo  did  not  ((>!!  an\  moro. 


II.     HOW    CLAY   DISHES   WERE   FIRST   MADE 
rpHE  Indians  in  the  west  tell  this  story: 

A  squaw  left  her  two  boys  to  care  for  her  papoose 
while  she  worked.  She  was  hidden  in  the  wickiup,  or 
tent,  and  did  not  see  what  the  boys  were  doing  until 
the  papoose  began  to  cry. 

The  squaw  found  them  all  down  by  the  river.  They 
could  not  stir,  for  their  feet  were  stuck  fast  in  the  wet 
clay  of  the  river  bank.  She  got  her  three  children 
back  to  the  wickiup.  They  laughed  at  their  footprints 
in  the  clay,  for  they  had  left  deep  holes  everywhere. 

The  band  of  Indians  left  their  camp  before  the  sun 
was  over  their  heads.  The  squaw,  with  her  papoose 
and  her  boys,  was  soon  far  away  from  the  river  bank ; 
but  during  the  hot  summer,  which  was  soon  upon  them, 
the  same  band  returned  to  the  river  they  had  left. 

The  two  little  Indian  boys  went  down  to  the  clay 
bank  where  they  had  stuck  fast.  No  rain  had  fallen 

88 


O      g 

3    I 

a  5 


90  WIGWAM   STOEIES 

since  they  had  been  there,  and  they  found  their  foot 
prints  in  the  clay.  These  had  dried  until  the  mud  was 
like  stone. 

The  squaw  came  and  looked  at  the  holes.  She  took 
some  clay  in  her  hands  and  wet  it  in  the  river,  then 
she  shaped  it  like  the  hollow  stone  she  used  for  cook 
ing.  She  dried  the  clay  in  the  sun,  and  it  was  soon 
hard. 

An  old  chief  saw  the  clay  dishes  and  told  the  other 
squaws  to  make  them,  but  the  clay  dishes  would  not 
hold  water  and  broke  very  -easily. 

A  squaw  put  some  ashes  and  fire  in  her  dish  one  day. 
She  wanted  to  save  the  fire,  for  it  was  hard  to  get.  The 
hot  coals  baked  the  dish,  and  it  would  not  break.  It 
held  water ;  then  the  Indians  knew  how  to  make  their 
clay  dishes  in  the  right  wray. 


III.     LEAPING   ROCK   IN   THE   PIPESTONE 
VALLEY 

EAR  the  Falls  of  Winniwissi  is  a  great 
rock ;    it  is  as   tall  as   two  braves. 
The  water  manitous  have  cut  the 
sides  of  this  rock  ;  it  is  smooth  on 
the   top ;    it   is   smooth    on    the 
sides ;   it  is  like   a   piece  of  ice 
in  the  Big  Sea  Water. 
It  is  small  on  the  top.     A  brave,  if  he  lay  down 
on  it  and  put  out  his  hands,  would  put  his  hands  on 
nothing.     It  is  small ;  it  is  a  high  rock. 

When  they  gathered  in  the  Pipestone  Valley  the 
chiefs  stood  by  this  rock.  It  is  in  the  Valley  of  Peace. 
The  young  braves  stood  by  this  rock.  The  chiefs  tried 
the  young  braves  here,  for  this  was  Leaping  Rock.  It 
stood  above  all  the  other  rocks. 

The  chiefs  called  the  young  braves  of  their  tribes. 
The  young  braves  came.  The  chiefs  said  :  "  Leap  from 
this  trail  in  the  valley  to  the  top  of  Leaping  Rock. 
Then  you  are  brave ;  then  you  are  strong." 

It  was  a  leap  as  high  as  two  braves  are  long.  It 
was  a  leap  like  an  arrow  shot  into  the  sky ;  like  an 


92  WIGWAM    STORIES 

arrow  which  falls  and  breaks  on  the  rocks  the  young 
braves  fell  sometimes. 

Sometimes  the  young  brave  was  strong ;  he  would 
stand  on  the  slippery  rock  like  an  eagle  resting  on  the 
mountain.  It  was  well.  He  was  then  a  great  brave. 
The  chief  of  his  tribe  gave  him  the  feather  of  an  eagle 
to  wear,  for  only  a  strong  brave  may  wear  a  feather  in 
his  scalp  lock. 

A  Dakota  maiden  had  two  lovers.  She  told  them  to 
go  to  Leaping  Rock.  They  went ;  one  came  back.  The 
other  the  chiefs  buried  where  he  fell  as  he  slid  from 
Leaping  Rock.  The  maiden  took  the  one  who  came 
back ;  but  she  was  missed  one  day,  and  they  found  her 
at  the  foot  of  Leaping  Rock  with  eagle  feathers  for  the 
Pawnee's  grave. 

"He  was  brave  but  no  one  mourns  for  him.  He 
shall  have  two  eagle  feathers,"  she  said. 

"  It  is  right,"  said  the  Dakotas. 


IV.  THE  FACE  OF  THE  GEEAT 
MANITOU  IN  THE  KOCK 


great  stone  pipes  of  all  tribes  of  Indians 
are  made  in   the  Valley  of  Peace.      The 
Valley  of  Peace  has  high  walls  of  rock.     This  rock  is 
soft  when  it  is  first  cut  ;  it  is  red  and  white. 

No  Indian  may  harm  any  one  in  this  valley.  Ene 
mies  must  not  know  war  here.  Dakotas,  Chippewas, 
Pawnees,  tribes  of  the  south  and  tribes  of  the  north 
buried  their  tomahawks  when  they  met  in  the  Valley 
of  Peace.  This  is  true  ;  the  tribes  gathered  here  to 
make  their  calumets.  The  calumet  is  the  pipe  of 
peace. 

The  Falls  of  the  Winniwissi  are  in  the  Pipestone 
Valley.  The  music  of  the  falling  water  is  like  the 
song  of  peace. 

Near  the  Falls  of  Winniwissi  is  a  high  rock.  When 
the  braves  come  to  the  Valley  of  Peace  they  see  a  great 
face  in  this  rock.  They  see  it  when  far  away  on  the 
long  trail.  It  is  the  face  of  the  Great  Manitou.  It  is 
the  face  of  the  Great  Spirit. 

All  the  tribes  believe  that  the  water  spirits  cut  this 
face  on  the  rock.  It  is  Wahkan.  It  is  sacred. 

93 


94  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  Dakotas  believe  that  Toonkan,  the  oldest  of  all 
the  gods,  lives  in  stone.  Stone  was  made  first.  Toon- 
kan  lived  first.  He  lives  in  every  rock.  He  loves  best 
the  great  rocks.  They  are  his  home.  The  Indians 
worship  the  face  in  the  rock.  It  is  Toonkan  watch 
ing  them.  He  will  bring  them  back  alive  from  battle. 
He  will  help  them  in  the  fight  with  the  bear. 

The  Indians  lift  their  pipes  and  let  the  smoke  blow 
toward  the  Great  Stone  Face.  They  sing  songs  to 
him ;  he  helps  the  tribes. 

There  is  another  Great  Spirit  who  lives  in  the  sun. 
These  two  Great  Spirits  know  each  other. 

The  Dakota  prays  to  the  sun.  One  of  his  prayers  is 
this  : 

u  Wahkan  Ate  !  onshemada  ! "  ("  Sacred  Spirit, 
Father!  have  mercy  on  me.") 

The  Chippewas  fear  their  manitous.  They  are  care 
ful  not  to  offend  them;  there  are  many  little  mani 
tous;  there  are  many  manitous  that  try  to  do  harm. 
The  good  manitous  are  wiser  than  the  bad  manitous. 
The  Indian  must  not  forget  to  pray  to  the  Great 
Manitou.  He  must  not  forget  the  little  manitous. 


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V.     HOW   TWO  SQUAWS  SAVED  THEIR  BAND 

(KlCKAPOO) 

HE  Indian  has  a  great  pride  in  and 
love  for  his  band  and  nation. 
There  is  a  story  of  two  captive 
squaws  who  were  promised  life 
and  freedom  if  they  would  lead 
their  captors  to  the  place  where 
the  squaws'  own  people  were 
hidden. 

The  squaws  told  their  captors  to  bring  many  canoes ; 
then,  acting  as  guides,  leaped  into  the  front  canoe,  call 
ing  on  their  captors  to  follow  them.  The  long  line  of 
boats  swept  quickly  down  the  stream.  Every  one  was 
merry  but  the  two  squaws ;  their  faces  showed  the 
sorrow  in  their  hearts. 

The  river  grew  narrower,  and  the  current  grew 
swifter.  The  warriors  called  to  the  squaws  to  know  if 
they  were  going  the  right  way. 

"  This  is  the  shortest  way  to  our  wigwams.  Make 
ready  your  arrows.  You  will  see  the  smoke  of  our 
campfires.  We  will  lead  the  band  who  will  kill  our 
braves." 

96 


HOW   TWO    SQUAWS    SAVED    THEIR   BAND       97 

The  squaws  stood  up  in  their  canoe.  They  threw 
their  paddles  far  out  into  the  white  water  of  the 
rapids.  They  gave  the  war  whoop  of  their  people. 

The  warriors  saw  the  canoe  which  held  the  two  cap 
tive  squaws  stand  still.  It  was  caught  for  one  minute 
by  a  rock,  then  it  leaped  forward  like  a  great  fish  and 
was  out  of  sight.  There  was  no  hope  for  any  of  the 
canoes.  Down,  over  the  falls  they  went,  one  by  one. 
The  squaws  had  led  their  captors  by  the  shortest  way, 
but  it  was  the  way  of  death  to  each  one. 

The  braves  they  were  seeking  were  hidden  in  a  cave 
at  the  foot  of  the  waterfall.  The  broken  canoes,  scat 
tered  garments,  arrows,  and  bodies  told  the  story  of 
their  rescue  by  the  brave  squaws.  Now  the  squaws 
of  their  band  sing  in  the  great  war  dance  and  chant  of 
the  bravery  of  women.  , 


VI.     THE   ORIGIN   OF   THE  CRANE   TRIBE   OF 
THE   OJIBWAY   OR   CHIPPEWA  INDIANS 

(TRIBE    STORY) 

|  HE  Great  Spirit  sent  two  cranes 
from  the  world  above  the  sky. 
They  came  through  an  opening 
between  the  clouds  and  tried  to 
find  a  place  upon  the  earth. 
The  Great  Spirit  told  them 
when  they  were  suited  with 
some  spot  to  fold  their  wings 
closely  to  their  sides  and  wait;  a  change  would 
come  over  them. 

The  pair  of  cranes  flew  down  to  the  earth  and  began 
to  search  for  a  home.  They  went  to  the  prairies  and 
tasted  the  buffalo  meat.  It  was  good,  but  there  were 
many  days  when  no  buffalo  was  in  sight.  They  feared 
that  the  food  would  not  last,  and  the  two  cranes  flew 
to  a  great  forest. 

In  the  forest  they  tasted  of  the  flesh  of  the  elk,  the 
deer,  and  many  other  animals.  It  was  good  meat,  but 
it  was  hard  work  to  hunt,  and  many  days  there  were 

neither  elk  nor  deer  in  sight. 

98 


THE   ORIGIN   OF   THE   CRAKE   TRIBE  99 

Then  the  two  cranes  flew  to  the  Great  Lakes.  They 
tasted  of  many  kinds  of  fish.  They  came  to  the  rapids 
in  the  outlet  of  the  lake  white  men  call  Lake  Superior. 
Many  fish  were  in  this  outlet  ;  every  day  the  fish 
seemed  more  plentiful  than  the  day  before. 

"  We  will  find  food  here  forever.  We  will  make  our 
home  here,"  said  the  two  cranes. 

They  flew  away  from  fishing  in  the  waters.  The 
two  cranes  stood  on  a  little  hill  near  the  rapids  and 
folded  their  wings  closely  to  their  sides.  The  Great 
Spirit  saw  their  faith,  and  they  were  changed  into  a 
man  and  a  woman.  Among  the  Ojibways  there  is  a 
tribe  called  the  Cranes,  who  believe  they  are  the  chil 
dren  of  these  two  cranes  sent  by  the  Great  Spirit  to 
the  earth. 


MOKI  BASKET  WEAVER 

From  a  Photograph 


VII.     STORY  OF   THE   FIRST 
MAN   AND   WOMAN 

(CHIEPEWA) 

Great  Manitou  had  his  home 
in  the  Land  of  Peace.  Before  he 
became  a  man  and  his  face  was  cut  in 
the  stone,  he  was  a  great  bird  and  his 
nest  was  in  the  pipestone  rocks. 

He  fed  on  the  wild  buffaloes  that 
lived  on  the  prairies.  He  could  carry 
two  buffaloes  in  his  claws ;  he  always 
ate  them  near  his  nest ;  this  is  why  the 
rocks  are  red. 

The  tracks  of  the  manitou  bird  can 
be  seen  near  the  Land  of  Peace.  The 
Indians  know  where  to  find  these  tracks 
and  will  show  them  to  the  white  man. 

The  Great  Serpent  is  older  than  man 
kind.  He  was  alive  before  the  first 
man  was  made.  He  found  the  nest 
of  the  manitou  bird ;  there  was  one 
egg  in  the  nest.  The  manitou  heard 

the  egg  move.     He  was  miles  away, 

101 


102  WIGWAM   STORIES 

but  he  flew  with  a  great  rock  in  his  claws  and  killed 
the  serpent.  The  rock  broke  open  the  egg,  and  out  of 
it  came  a  grown  man,  but  the  rock  lay  upon  his  feet 
and  he  could  not  walk.  He  had  to  stand  in  one  place, 
for  the  manitou  bird  would  not  set  him  free  until  he 
knew  many  things. 

The  man  learned  how  to  hunt  the  buffalo,  for  he 
could  see  many  miles.  He  learned  how  to  tan  and  use 
the  buffalo  skin ;  he  learned  the  language  of  birds ; 
they  would  come  when  he  would  call  their  names ;  he 
learned  how  to  make  and  use  the  bow  and  arrow. 

The  manitou  bird  covered  the  man  with  a  great 
buffalo  skin,  but  his  head  was  not  covered,  for  he  had 
much  black  hair.  The  first  man  was  slow  to  learn  and 
he  stood  many  moons  in  his  place  in  the  pipestone 
rocks  ;  nothing  came  to  hurt  him. 

When  he  had  learned  much,  he  woke  one  morning 
and  found  a  woman  standing  beside  him.  The  man 
itou  bird  pulled  away  the  stone  from  the  feet  of  the 
man.  He  shook  his  wings  and  the  man  and  woman 
ran  to  the  prairie. 

These  two  were  the  first  of  all  people.  They  were 
Indians.  All  mankind  know  they  were  the  first  to 
live  on  the  earth. 


VIII.     GIANTS  AND  FAIRIES 

HE  Indians  in  the  forest  have 
many  stories  of  giants.  The  red 
men  are  very  proud  of  their  own 

people,  who  can  lift  the  greatest  weight,  run  the  fastest 

races,  or  suffer  the  most  pain  without  making  a  sound. 

You  see  the  Indian  is  not  so   very  different  in   some 

ways  from  the  white  man. 

Kwasind,  among  the  Chippewas,  was  a  strong  wee- 
digo,  or  giant.  He  it  was  that  threw  the  rock  into  the 
Sault  Ste.  Marie.  He  could  not  be  hurt  except  in  one 
place  ;  that  was  in  the  back  of  his  head.  Kwasind  was 
foolish  enough  to  tell  this  to  one  of  the  little  water 
people.  He  told  a  little  nibanabas  that  if  the  little 
people  of  the  forest,  the  pukwudjinnies,  could  hit  him 
with  cones  from  the  pine  trees,  he  would  die.  But  he 
knew  he  was  very  tall,  and  the  pukwudjinnies  were 
no  larger  than  a  little  papoose. 

The  little  people  of  the  forest  soon  heard  the  secret. 
They  left  the  shores  of  the  swift  river  and  went  to  look 
for  pine  cones.  They  found  them  and  brought  many 


104  WIGWAM    ST01UES 

back.  They  hid  by  the  river  until  Kwasind  came  in 
his  great  canoe  asleep ;  the  nibanabas  had  sung  him  to 
sleep.  The  little  people  threw  their  cones  into  the 
canoe  and  hit  Kwasind  on  the  back  of  his  head. 
The  Avicked  giant  never  hurt  any  one  again. 

There  was  another  giant  who  lived  near  Narra- 
gansett  Bay.  His  wife  grew  angry  with  him  and  went 
across  the  bay  to  live  alone.  If  a  fisherman  drifted 
near  her  wigwam  by  the  shore,  she  always  turned  him 
into  a  great  rock.  A  terrible  storm  came  from  the 
sea  and  washed  away  these  rocks  and  her  wigwam  ; 
after  that  the  fishermen  were  not  afraid. 

Adapted  from  Scltoolcraft . 


IX.     WEENK   THE    SLEEP-BRINGER   AND   HIS 
AYARRIORS 

(O.JIBWAY) 

TTTEENK  is  the  sandman  of  the  Ojibway  or  Cliip- 
*  *  pewa  children.  He  comes  every  night  and 
brings  so  many  tiny  warriors  with  him  that  each 
eyelid  is  conquered  and  closed  till  morning. 

The  Ojibway  mother  puts  her  papoose  to  sleep  in 
a  tiny  hammock  made  of  bark,  fastened  with  sinew 
thongs  and  lined  with  soft,  dry  moss.  She  sings 
strange  slumber  songs  to  the  wee  one,  and  the  older 
children  stand  by  her  in  the  summer  evenings  and 
whisper  little  stories  of  Weenk  and  his  warriors. 

"Weenk  is  a  bee  as  big  as  a  buffalo,"  they  say. 
"  He  has  bees'  wings  instead  of  hair.  The  wings  sing 
and  sing.  They  buzz  and  buzz.  He  is  always  sleepy. 
He  brings  sleep  to  children.  The  little  one  must  go  to 
sleep  ;  Weenk  has  come. 

105 


106  WIGWAM   STOEIES 

"Weenk  is  a  good  man.  He  brings  many  little 
manitous  to  help  him,  and  they  go  everywhere.  There 
is  one  on  the  papoose's  eyelid  now.  They  are  dancing 
in  the  little  one's  hair.  Buzz,  buzz,  buzz." 

"  Here  is  a  war  club  one  of  the  little  manitous  has 
lost,"  a  sister  will  say  as  she  picks  up  a  tiny  hair. 

"  Here  is  a  feather  from  a  scalp  lock,"  says  another, 
as  she  holds  up  a  fiber  from  some  feather.  So  the  fun 
goes  on  until  finally  the  little  papoose  is  asleep. 

"We  will  fight  Weenk,"  say  the  children,  and  then 
there  is  a  battling  of  empty  hands  in  the  air,  while  they 
sing  "Buzz,  buzz,  buzz." 

"  Wewahsta  has  lighted  her  lamp,"  says  the  squaw 
mother  as  she  sees  the  evening  star.  Then  the  chil 
dren  know  it  is  time  for  them  to  lie  down  to  sleep,  and 
soon  the  wigwam  is  still. 

The  story  of  buzzing  Weenk  and  his  band  is  fresh 
every  evening,  for  they  always  tell  new  stories  of  what 
the  little  warriors  can  do.  Sometimes  they  come  on 
the  fireflies,  and  sometimes  the  mosquitoes  and  busy 
gnats  bring  them.  Indian  children  are  much  like  their 
white  brothers  and  sisters  and  find  sport  in  many 
things. 


KIOWA  PAPOOSE  IN  ITS  CRADLE 

From  a  Photograph 


X.     THE   LITTLE   PEOPLE   OF   THE   SENEGAS 

(IROQUOIS) 

WO  Indians  from  the  Seneca 
Reservation  went  hunting ; 
they  went  on  a  long  trail, 
but  at  last  found  a  place 
where  the  deer  come  to  eat 
the  salt  that  is  in  the  sand ; 
1  it  is  called  a  "salt  lick." 
The  Indians  waited  in  the 
trees  until  many  deer  came ;  they  shot  at  the  deer, 
which  fell  like  wild  ducks  when  the  rice  is  ripe. 

The  Indians  had  to  throw  away  much  meat  in  order 
to  save  the  skins  for  leather.  There  was  more  meat 
than  the  wolves  could  eat,  but  the  hunters  shot  many 
deer  every  day,  until  no  more  came. 

The  hunters  went  on  carrying  great  rolls  of  deerskin, 
which  were  very  heavy.  They  were  hungry,  but  found 
nothing  but  acorns  to  eat.  They  became  very  weak 
and  said :  "  Our  wigwams  will  see  us  no  more.  We 
shall  starve,  and  the  deerskins  will  never  be  used." 

They  sat  by  a  great  rock.  One  of  the  hunters  hit 
the  rock  with  a  stick,  and  a  little  man  appeared. 

108 


THE    LITTLE   PEOPLE    OF   THE    SENEGAS      109 

The  little  one  said :  "  You  are  starving  because  you 
killed  and  did  not  eat.  You  fed  the  wolves ;  now  the 
wolves  will  feed  on  you.  We  have  driven  the  deer  to 
another  forest,  where  they  may  live  and  be  found  by 
other  hunters.  You  were  selfish.  You  wanted  all  the 
deerskins  in  the  forest.  You  were  not  wise." 

"  What  shall  we  do  to  get  food  ?  "  said  the  hunters. 

"  You  may  have  meat  if  you  will  give  up  all  the 
deerskins.  My  people  have  said  it,"  said  the  little  one. 

"  We  must  have  the  skins,  and  we  must  have  food. 
Ask  your  chief  to  let  us  have  the  skins  for  our  wig 
wams.  We  will  be  wise  when  we  see  the  deer  again 
at  the  salt  licks,"  said  the  older  hunter. 

"  I  will  go  to  my  chief.  Hit  on  this  rock  again 
when  you  want  me,"  said  the  little  one. 

The  Indians  rapped  on  the  rock  again  when  the  sun 
was  setting.  The  little  one  came  and  led  the  way  to  a 
great  cave  filled  with  food  and  furs.  They  ate  and 
slept.  At  midnight  they  were  awakened  by  many  of 
the  little  people,  who  said  that  the  hunters  might  take 
their  packs  of  skins  and  all  the  food  they  wished  from 
the  cave  if  they  would  never  again  shoot  the  deer  to 
feed  the  wolves.  The  hunters  promised  and  soon  were 
in  a  strange,  sound  sleep.  When  they  awoke  they 
were  near  their  homes. 

Adapted  from  Powell's  Report. 


XI.     THE   HUNTER  WHO  COULD   FLY 

(IllOQUOIS) 

AN  Indian  had  been  out  hunting  all  day.  His  arrows 
had  never  come  back ;  they  brought  him  nothing ; 
he  was  tired  and  hungry;  he  had  no  more  arrows.  Just 
then  he  came  to  a  lake  on  which  many  wild  geese  were 
swimming,  and  he  wanted  some  meat.  He  would 
have  it. 

He  saw  some  young  saplings  growing  at  the  foot  of 
a  basswood  tree.  He  tore  off  long  strips  of  bark  from 
these  and  then  dived  into  the  lake  under  the  geese 
where  he  saw  hundreds  of  their  feet.  He  tied  many  of 
their  feet  together,  and  then  fastened  them  to  his  belt. 

The  geese  began  to  scream,  and  the  flock  rose  from 
the  water.  He  had  tied  six  geese  to  his  belt;  they  were 
strong,  and  the  geese  lifted  the  hunter  out  of  the  water 
and  flew  with  him  to  the  flock. 

He  cut  three  geese  loose;  the  other  three  broke  the 
strings  which  tied  them.  The  Indian  dropped  down, 
down,  into  a  tall  hollow  stump.  He  was  hungry,  but 

he  went  to  sleep. 

no 


THE   HUNTER   WHO    0€ULD   FLY  111 


After  two  days  he  heard  squaws  trying  to  cut  down 
the  stump ;  they  ran  away  when  he  called  to  them. 
The  Indian  men  came  and  found  him ;  they  got  him 
out  and  gave  him  food. 

The  Indians  gave  him  arrows,  and  he  made  himself  a 
new  bow ;  these  he  took  and  went  on  a  long  hunt.  He 
came  to  a  place  where  there  were  many  deer,  and  he 
had  much  meat  and  many  deerskins.  The  hunter 
remembered  how  the  geese  had  carried  him  in  the  air. 
He  made  wings  of  the  deerskins;  he  learned  how  to  fly 
with  the  wings,  for  the  birds  taught  him. 

The  hunter  was  very  far  from  his  tribe.  It  was  a 
long  trail  to  his  village.  He  said  to  the  birds  that  he 
would  fly  to  his  tribe,  and  he  did.  When  it  was  night 
he  slept  in  the  trees ;  when  it  was  day  the  hunter  flew 
until  he  was  hungry,  then  he  stopped  and  found  some 
thing  to  eat. 

He  reached  his  village;  his  tribe  saw  him  and  thought 
a  spirit  had  come.  They  called  a  great  council,  and  the 
hunter  told  his  story;  then  he  burned  his  wings.  No 
other  Indian  was  ever  seen  to  fly  in  the  air. 


XII.     HOW  THE   BEAR   LOST  HIS  TAIL 

(IROQUOIS) 

AN  old  fox  saw  an  Indian  with  a  sled-load  of  fish. 
The  fox  wanted  a  fish,  but  was  afraid  of  the  man. 
How  could  he  get  a  fish 
without  letting  the  Indian 
know?  At  last  he  thought 
of  a  plan.  He  laid  him 
self  down  by  the  sled-road 
and  made  the  Indian  be 
lieve  that  he  was  dead. 

The  Indian  wanted  the 
fox's  skin,  but  did  not 
have  time  to  take  it. 
He  threw  the  old  fox  on 
the  sled  with  the  fish  and 
pulled  the  big  load  towards 
his  wigwam. 

While  the  Indian 
was  hard   at  work 
pulling,  the  old  fox  pushed 
off  two  or  three  good  fish  and  rolled  off  himself.     In 

a  minute  he  was  out  of  sight  with  the  fish. 

112 


,  \  ^ 

O  -"     I      I  c  \ 

- 


HOW    THE    BEAR    LOST    HIS    TAIL  113 

The  fox  met  a  wolf  who  asked  him,  "  Where  did  you 
get  the  fish?" 

The  fox  did  not  like  the  wolf,  but  told'  him  the  trick 
he  had  played  on  the  Indian. 

"  It  is  easy.     Go  and  do  it/'  said  the  fox. 

The  stupid  wolf  ran  away,  and  after  seeing  the 
Indian,  lay  down  and  waited  as  the  fox  had  told  him. 
The  Indian  found  him,  but  he  was  not  to  be  fooled  twice 
by  the  same  trick.  He  pounded  the  old  wolf  with  the 
stout  stick  he  used  for  a  cane.  The  wolf  jumped  up 
very  sore  and  ran  away  to  find  the  fox.  He  did  not 
find  him. 

A  bear  saw  the  fox  eating  the  fish  while  the  wolf  was 
gone. 

"Where  did  your  fish  come  from?"  asked  the 
bear. 

"  Follow  that  road  down  to  the  river  and  you  will 
find  a  fishing  place.  Put  that  long  bushy  tail  of  yours 
into  the  water.  Wait  until  the  fish  bite  it,  then  snatch 
them  out." 

The  bear  ran  down  to  the  river  and  did  just  as  the 
fox  had  told  him,  but  the  fishing  place  froze  over  while 
the  bear  waited  for  the  fish  to  bite.  The  bear  did  not 
know  this,  for  his  back  was  turned  to  the  water.  It  was 
a  very  cold  day,  and  the  bear  thought  he  would  walk 
and  get  warm.  He  tried  to  get  up,  and  his  tail  broke 
off  short  in  the  ice. 


114  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  bear  ran  so  fast  that  he  found  the  fox,  and  he 
wanted  to  fight  him. 

"I  have  done  nothing,"  said  the  fox.  "It  is  all 
because  you  are  so  slow." 

The  bear  never  had  a  long  tail  after  that  time.  The 
fox  never  lost  his  fine  one. 

^-  Kaanerwah,  Iroquois  Chief. 


XIII.  THE  BLUE  HERON  AND  THE  WOLF 


(ALGONQUIN) 

BIG-  blue  heron  was  standing  in  a  marsh 
near  a  river.     Two  weasels  wanted  to 
cross  the    river.      The    weasels 
talked  with  each  other. 

"That  is  a  beautiful  bird," 
said  the  mother  weasel,  "  see 
how  high  he  carries  his  head." 
"  He  is  as  tall  as  a  tree,"  said 
the  little  weasel.  "  If  I  were  as  tall  as  he,  I  would 
carry  you  across  this  little  river." 

The  big  blue  heron  was  pleased,  for  he  liked  to  be 
called  tall.  He  was  proud  and  could  carry  his  head 
very  high,  but  he  stooped  and  spoke  to  the  two 
weasels. 

"  I  cannot  carry  you  over  this  little  river,  but  I  will 
help  you.  You  must  follow  me  to  the  end  of  the  old 
tree  that  lies  almost  across  the  river ;  then  I  will  lie 
down  and  stick  my  bill  in  the  bank,,  and  you  walk  on 
my  legs  and  body  for  a  bridge." 

The  weasels  followed  the  blue  heron,  and  when  he  lay 
down  they  ran  across  over  his  body  to  the  river  bank. 

115 


116  WIGWAM    STORIES 

They  were  very  light  and  quick.  They  did  not  wet 
their  feet. 

An  old  wolf  was  watching  them  all.  He  wanted  to 
cross  the  river,  and  when  the  blue  heron  came  back  the 
wolf  asked  him  to  do  the  same  thing  that  he  had  done 
for  the  weasels. 

"  I  have  always  wondered  what  use  you  were  in  the 
world.  Now  I  see  that  you  and  your  family  would 
make  good  bridges.  Your  long  neck  is  very  thin,  but 
it  might  hold  if  one  were  as  quick  as  a  weasel.  Come, 
my  friend,  help  a  poor  wolf  that  is  hungry  and  in 
trouble." 

The  blue  heron  was  too  proud  to  be  used  as  a  bridge 
for  every  one.  The  wolf  saw  that  he  had  not  asked  in 
the  right  way,  so  he  began  again. 

"  You  must  be  a  very  stout  bird.  Your  feathers  are 
very  fine,  but  they  cover  a  stout  body.  My  grandfather 
has  said  that  two  herons  can  carry  a  load  of  fish,  but 
you  could  carry  such  a  load  alone." 

The  heron  looked  at  the  wolf  and  told  him  to  get  up 
on  his  back. 

"  I  will  carry  you,"  said  the  heron. 

The  wolf  showed  all  his  teeth  in  a  grin  as  he  got  on 
the  heron's  back.  The  heron  waded  to  the  middle  of 
the  stream  and  said : 

"  I  am  only  half  as  strong  as  two  herons,  so  I  can 
carry  you  only  halfway.  You  must  wait  here  until  you 


THE    BLUE    HERON    AND    THE   WOLF          117 

find  another  heron  as  foolish  as  I  am,  to  carry  you  the 
rest  of  the  way." 

The  heron  flapped  his  wings  and  flew  back  to  his 
place  in  the  marsh.  The  wolf  could  not  wait  to  find 
another  foolish  heron,  but  went  straight  to  the  bottom 
of  the  river. 


fi  I 


XIV.     THE   LITTLE   WOLF   BROTHER 

A  WIGWAM  stood  alone  by  a  great  forest.  There 
were  five  people  in  it  for  a  long  time  ;  these  were 
the  father,  mother,  one  daughter,  and  t\vo  sons.  Before 
the  winter  was  over  only  the  children  were  left,  for  the 
old  warrior  and  his  squaw  had  gone  to  the  Happy 
Hunting  Grounds.  The  girl  and  the  oldest  boy  prom 
ised  faithfully  to  care  for  their  little  brother,  who 
was  weak  and  suffered  often  from  sickness. 

For  twelve  moons  the  older  boy  hunted  and  fished 
and  brought  food  to  the  wigwam ;  then  he  told  his 
sister  that  he  must  go  with  some  braves  he  had  seen 
in  the  forest,  and  be  a  great  warrior  like  his  father. 

"  But  you  promised  to  stay  until  the  little  one  was 
grown  tall.  You  promised  our  father  and  our  mother." 

"  It  is  a  squaw's  work  to  care  for  the  children ;  you 
can  do  it.  I  am  brave;  I  must  fight,"  said  the  oldest 
brother. 

"  You  are  not  brave,  and  you  have  not  a  straight 
tongue.  It  is  not  well  to  do  as  you  are  doing.  When 
you  go  on  the  warpath  you  will  lose  your  arrows,  and 
your  scalp  will  hang  to  the  belt  of  your  enemy.  Come 
back,"  said  the  sister. 

119 


120  WIGWAM    STORIES 

The  boy  ran  from  his  sister's  call  into  the  grove  of 
great  trees.  He  jumped  on  his  pony  and  rode  away 
to  the  band  of  warriors  he  had  seen. 

The  sister  and  the  little  brother  lived  together  in  the 
wigwam  until  the  wild  geese  had  come  and  gone  three 
times  from  the  lake  in  the  forest.  They  saw  no  one 
but  the  wild  deer  and  the  other  animals.  They  planted 
their  corn  and  tried  to  be  happy;  but  the  girl  grew 
very  lonely,  and  one  day  when  she  saw  another  wig 
wam  across  the  lake  she  felt  like  the  young  wolf  they 
had  tied  to  a  tree  near  the  wigwam. 

"  Come,  let  us  go  and  see  who  is  across  the  lake/' 
she  said  to  the  little  one. 

"  I  cannot  walk  so  far ;  you  have  not  made  me  new 
moccasins.  I  am  hungry;  give  me  more  meat,"  was 
his  answer. 

"You  shall  have  much  meat,"  said  the  girl,  but  she 
was  very  angry.  She  killed  the  pet  wolf  when  the 
boy  did  not  see,  and  made  a  great  kettle  of  soup  from 
its  flesh  and  the  water  in  the  lake.  She  put  her  own 
moccasins  and  her  new  suit  on  the  buffalo  robe  which 
was  their  bed,  and  while  the  little  brother  was  playing 
at  hunting  she  ran  away  to  the  wigwam  they  had 
seen. 

"You  are  welcome,"  said  the  old  squaw  who  came 
out  to  meet  her.  "  Where  are  your  people  ?  " 

"  They  are  all  dead,"  said  the  girl. 


THE    LITTLE    WOLF    BKOTHEK  121 

The  squaw  gave  her  a  good  supper  and  said,  "  You 
may  live  with  me." 

The  little  brother  cried  when  he  could  not  find  his 
sister,  and  went  to  look  for  his  pet  wolf.  He  called  to 
it  in  the  wolf  language  but  got  no  answer.  The  little 
one  ate  his  soup,  and  putting  on  his  sister's  moccasins 
lay  down  on  the  buffalo  robe  and  went  to  sleep.  He 
hunted  all  day  after  he  awoke  in  the  morning,  but 
could  not  find  his  sister. 

"  I  will  ask  the  wolves,"  he  said,  as  he  heard  a  pack 
growling  in  the  forest. 

He  called  to  them  in  the  wolf  language  and  asked  if 
they  had  seen  his  sister  or  his  little  pet  wolf. 

"  We  found  a  wolf's  head  near  your  wigwam,  and 
we  smelled  the  tracks  of  some  one  that  went  around 
the  lake/'  said  the  leader  wolf. 

"  My  brother  has  gone,  my  sister  has  gone,  my  little 
wolf  has  gone;  I  shall  starve  and  freeze,"  said  the 
boy. 

"Come  with  us,"  said  the  leader  wolf;  "come  and 
be  one  of  us." 

The  boy  ran  after  the  pack,  and  as  he  ran  he  began 
to  chant : 

I  am  changing  into  a  wolf. 
The  wolves  are  better  than  my  brother ; 
The  wolves  are  better  than  my  sister. 
I  am  changing  into  a  wolf. 


122  WIGWAM    STORIES 

He  ran  very  slowly ;  the  wolves  began  to  howl  as  if 
some  strange  creature  were  near,  and  the  boy  saw  his 
own  brother  in  a  tree  over  his  head.  The  older  brother 
begged  the  wolves  to  go  away.  The  little  one  was 
now  a  wolf,  and  he  called  to  the  pack  to  follow  him, 
for  he  had  found  the  track  of  a  deer. 

The  brother  knew  his  voice  and  said,  "  Let  me  die, 
for  my  brother  that  I  deserted  has  become  a  wolf." 
He  fell  from  the  tree,  but  the  wolves  did  not  eat  him, 
for  his  little  wolf  brother  told  them  who  the  man  was. 

"  Let  him  live.  He  is  not  good  enough  for  wolves 
to  eat,"  said  the  leader ;  but  to  the  brother  who  had 
done  wrong  life  was  worse  than  being  torn  by  wolves. 
The  band  of  warriors  deserted  him  in  the  forest,  and 
he  never  went  on  the  warpath  again. 

^•1  dapted  from  Sckoolcraft. 


XV.  THE  GOOD  BEAR  AND  THE  LOST  BOY 


(Tuoquois) 

BOY  went  out  to  hunt  and 
crawled  into  a  great  hole  where 
porcupines  lived.  He  wanted 
to  get  some  of  the  young  ones. 
The  dirt  fell  into  the  hole 
behind  him  and  shut  him  in 
with  the  porcupines. 

The  boy  cried  himself  to  sleep, 
for  he  knew  his  father  could  not  find  him.  When  he 
awoke  he  saw  the  mother  porcupine  as  big  as  a  squaw. 
She  gave  him  some  food,  but  he  could  not  eat.  The 
food  was  bitter. 

The  porcupine  squaw  said,  k<  I  will  call  a  council, 
for  I  do  not  know  what  to  feed  you." 

The  council  was  held  in  the  woods  close  by.  Wolves, 
bears,  foxes,  and  deer  came.  The  mother  sent  her 
young  porcupines  to  call  these  animals  to  the  council. 
The  boy  was  glad  he  had  not  hurt  any  one  in  the 
porcupine's  cave. 

The  mother  porcupine  stood  in  the  council  and  said : 
"  I  have  found  this  creature  in  the  house  I  have  made 

123 


124  WIGWAM   STOE1ES 

for  my  little  ones.  He  is  hungry,  but  lie  cannot  eat 
what  iny  children  eat.  Tell  me  what  to  give  him  so 
that  he  may  live." 

A  great  gray  fox  rose  then  and  answered  :  "  I  live 
on  geese  and  the  birds  of  the  forest.  He  is  the  child 
of  the  red  man.  The  red  man  has  fire  and  clay.  He 
cooks  his  food  ;  I  do  not." 

The  council  decided  that  the  fox  should  not  take 
the  boy. 

A  wolf  stood  in  the  council :  "  I  have  many  cubs 
in  my  den.  They  are  always  hungry.  I  am  always 
hungry.  It  is  better  for  the  boy  never  to  see  the  place 
where  I  sleep." 

And  the  council  agreed  that  the  wolf  mother  should 
not  take  the  boy. 

The  deer  did  not  stand.  His  head  was  covered  with 
tall  antlers.  He  sat  and  looked  with  kind  eyes  at  the 
man-child.  He  said  :  "I  have  hidden  my  family  in 
the  thick  bushes.  They  are  safe  while  I  am  in  this 
council.  We  feed  on  wild  grass  and  the  tender  leaves 
of  the  trees.  We  love  one  another,  but  there  are  many 
who  hunt  us.  The  child  could  never  run  as  we  run. 
Our  eyes  see  much.  We  see,  we  hear,  and  we  run. 
The  child  has  two  feet ;  we  have  four.  He  could  not 
follow  us." 

The  council  said  that  the  deer  should  not  take 
the  boy. 


THE  GOOD  BEAR  AND  THE  LOST  BOY   125 

The  bear  rose  on  his  hind  legs  and  said  :  "  I  feed  on 
nuts.  My  little  ones  are  warm  and  not  hungry.  I 
will  take  the  boy." 

The  council  said  that  the  bear  was  wise.  The  boy 
should  go  with  him,  and  all  the  other  animals  would 
help  to  gather  the  nuts  for  his  feeding.  The  council 
fire  was  put  out,  and  each  one  went  home.  The  boy 
followed  the  bear  to  a  hole  in  a  great  tree.  The  mother 
bear  and  the  cubs  welcomed  him,  and  the  boy  was 
happy. 

He  learned  to  talk  as  the  bears  talk  and  to  walk  like 
them.  Nothing  hurt  him,  and  he  was  never  hungry. 
Some  Indians  saw  the  father  bear  one  day  and  chased 
him.  Then  they  found  the  mother  and  her  cubs,  and 
all  were  killed. 

The  boy  hid  in  the  hollow  tree.  The  Indians  found 
him  and  took  him  away.  He  was  very  wild  and  did 
not  love  his  people,  for  they  had  killed  the  bears. 

The  Indian  boy  was  kept  in  the  wigwam.  He  learned 
the  ways  of  Ins  people  again,  but  never  did  he  shoot  or 
trap  a  bear. 


K  r< 

K       1 
K      ^ 


XVI.     LEGEND   OF   NIAGARA   FALLS 

(SENECA) 

AN  old  war  chief  came  to  the  wigwam  of  Red  Eagle. 

The  old  chief  wanted  to  marry  the  young  daughter 

of  Red  Eagle.    He  brought  many  furs  and  much  food  to 

pay  for  her.     Red  Eagle  told  his  daughter  that  this  old 

chief  was  to  be  her  husband. 

White  Cloud  was  the  name  of  the  girl.  She  shed 
many  tears  when  the  war  chief  was  gone.  She  was 
afraid  to  show  her  dislike  before. 

Red  Eagle  said :  "  He  has  brought  his  presents  to  us. 
We  have  taken  them.  We  cannot  give  them  back.  He 
is  a  great  war  chief,  and  we  cannot  offend  him." 

White  Cloud  knew  that  no  one  on  earth  could  help 
her.  She  could  not  live.  Her  wigwam  was  near  the 
water.  She  jumped  into  her  canoe,  but  she  did  not 
know  what  she  was  doing,  for  she  paddled  far  out  into 
the  river.  The  rapids  were  near,  and  the  dashing  water 
carried  her  little  boat  down  the  rapids  to  the  falls  of 
the  great  waters. 

Hinun,  the  god  of  clouds  and  rain,  lived  under  the 
great  falls.  His  wigwam  was  behind  the  falling  waters. 
He  saw  the  maiden  in  her  canoe.  He  rushed  out  from 


128  WIGWAM   STOKIES 

his  hiding  place  and  spread  his  great  wings.  He  caught 
the  boat  before  it  was  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks, 
and  carried  White  Cloud  to  his  cave  behind  the  falling 
waters. 

Here  White  Cloud  lived  many  weeks.  Hinun  taught 
her  many  ways  of  healing.  He  told  her  why  so  many 
of  her  village  had  sickened  and  had  gone  from  earth. 
There  was  an  evil  spirit  under  the  ground  on  which 
her  people  lived.  If  she  would  wait  in  his  wigwam  he 
would  kill  it. 

Hinun  came  back  from  watching  the  harvest  of  corn, 
and  told  her  that  the  old  war  chief  was  dead.  She 
could  go  back  to  her  own  wigwam,  and  he  carried  her 
back  on  his  wings  to  the  shore.  She  remembered  the 
medicines  he  had  taught  her. 

Red  Eagle  was  glad  to  see  his  daughter  again.  Her 
mother  was  sick  with  grief  for  her.  White  Cloud  cured 
her  by  standing  beside  her  bed.  She  cured  many  with 
the  new  medicines. 

White  Cloud  begged  of  the  tribe  to  move  to  a  better 
place  for  their  village.  She  told  them  all  that  Hinun 
had  said.  They  moved  the  village  to  another  place, 
but  the  evil  spirit  followed  them. 

Hinun  came  and  found  the  evil  spirit.  He  struck  it 
with  lightning  from  the  clouds.  The  evil  spirit  was 
killed.  It  was  like  a  great  serpent,  as  long  as  twenty 
arrow  flights.  It  floated  down  the  waters  of  Niagara. 


LEGEND    OF   NIAGARA   FALLS  129 

Its  body  lodged  between  the  rocks.  It  was  so  heavy 
it  bent  the  rocks.  It  bent  them  like  a  horseshoe,  and 
they  ar6  that  shape  to  this  day. 

When  the  evil  spirit  was  gone  from  under  their  vil 
lage  there  was  no  more  fever.  Hinun  helped  White 
Cloud  in  many  ways,  and  she  told  these  things  to 
her  people.  Hinun  does  not  live  behind  the  falling 
waters  in  these  days,  for  when  the  Indians  left  he 
went  away. 

Adapted  from  "  Iroquois  Myths,"  PowelVs  Report. 


XVII.     HOW   THE   INDIANS    CAME   TO   KNOW 
MEDICINE    PLANTS 

(TUSCARORA) 

riHIEF  MT.  PLEASANT,  of  the  band  that  has  the 
Bear  totem,  tells  this  story  : 

Many  winters  ago  a  poor,  sickly  old  man  came  to  an 
Indian  village.     In  front  of  each  wigwam  was  placed 
a  skin  on  a  pole  to  show  what  totem  belonged  to  the 
family.     Over  some  wigwams  hung 
a  beaver  skin ;  that  was  the  totem 
or  sign  of  the  tribe  of  Beaver  In 
dians.     Over  other  wigwams  hung 
deerskins  ;   that  was  the  totem  of 
the  Deer  tribe. 

The  old  man  stopped  at  each 
wigwam  and  asked  for  food  and  a 
place  to  sleep  during  that  night. 
He  looked  so  sick  that  the  families 
who  had  the  Wolf,  the  Turtle,  and 
the  Heron  totems  all  refused  him  a  chance  to  enter 
their  wigwams. 

He  went  the  whole  length  of  the  village,  and  at  last 
he  saw  a  wigwam  with  a  bearskin  hanging  over  it.     A 


THE   INDIAN   MEDICINE   PLANTS  131 

kind  old  squaw  came  out  of  this  wigwam  and  brought 
food  to  him,  and  spread  out  skins  for  his  bed.  The  old 
man  felt  very  sick.  He  told  her  what  plants  to  gather 
in  the  woods  to  make  him  well. 

The  squaw  gathered  these  plants  and  did  as  he  told 
her  with  them  ;  the  sores  on  his  feet  were  healed  and 
he  was  better  very  soon.  She  promised  not  to  forget 
the  secret  of  the  healing  plants. 

In  a  few  days  he  was  taken  with  a  fever ;  again  he 
told  the  old  squaw  what  plants  and  leaves  to  go  out 
and  gather  for  him.  She  did  so,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  ho  was  well.  She  promised  again  not  to  forget 
what  she  had  learned. 

Many  times  he  fell  sick  ;  each  time  it  was  with  a 
new  sickness.  Each  time  he  told  the  squaw  what  to 
find  that  would  heal  him.  The  squaw  learned  more 
than  all  her  nation  knew  of  medicine. 

One  morning  the  old  man  told  her  that  he  had  come 
to  her  village  just  to  teach  the  people  the  secrets  which 
she  now  knew.  No  one  had  welcomed  him  but  the 
Bear  band. 

The  old  man  said :  "  I  am  going  away  from  this  peo 
ple  now.  I  came  to  do  them  good.  No  one  but  you 
would  show  kindness  to  the  stranger.  When  you  see 
the  sun  again,  you  will  find  a  young  hemlock  tree  grow 
ing  by  the  door  of  your  wigwam.  It  will  grow  taller 
than  any  tree  that  you  or  your  tribe  have  seen. 


132  WIGWAM    STORIES 

"  This  will  show  that  the  Bear  tribe  is  the  greatest. 
All  the  tribes  shall  come  to  the  Bear  tribe  for  help  in 
sickness.  You  will  show  them  the  plants,  roots,  and 
leaves  that  can  heal  their  sick  people." 

When  the  old  man  was  done  talking  he  went  out  of 
sight.  No  one  has  ever  seen  him  since  that  morning. 
The  Bears  have  become  strong,  and  their  warriors  are 
very  brave.  Their  medicine  men  can  do  more  than 
the  medicine  men  of  other  tribes. 

Arranged  from  Powell's  Report. 


XVIII.    MONDAHMIN,  WHO   GAVE   THE   CORN 


(CHIPPEWA) 

MANITOU  lived  alone  in  the  land. 
Wunaumon  was  his  name.  He  was 
brave.  All  the  animals  feared  him. 
He  was  a  great  hunter  and  the  son 
of  Menabozho. 

Wunaumon  walked  all  the  day 
through  a  great  woods.  When  he 
came  out  of  the  woods  he  saw  a  great 
prairie;  it  was  wide,  like  a  lake  of  land.  Wunaumon 
saw  trees  on  the  further  side  of  the  prairie. 

"  I  will  see  what  is  in  that  forest/'  lie  said.  His  steps 
were  long,  and  he  was  soon  almost  across  the  prairie. 

Wunaumon  stopped  like  a  deer  that  is  startled.  He 
was  not  afraid,  but  lie  saw  a  strange  sight.  A  stranger 
came  out  of  the  forest  across  the  prairie.  He  came  to 
meet  Wunaumon. 


Where  are  you  going?"   said  the  stranger. 


Then 
They 


he  lifted  a  pipe  of  peace,  and  Wunaumon  took  it. 
were  friends  now. 

The  stranger  was  short.     He  had  a  red  feather  in 
his  scalp  lock.     His  coat  was  stiff  and  shinv.     He  did 


133 


134  WIGWAM    STORIES 

not  wear  deerskin.  They  sat  down  on  the  prairie. 
They  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace. 

"  I  am  very  strong,"  said  Wunaumon.  "  How  strong 
are  you  ?  " 

"I  am  strong  as  a  man,"  said  the  stranger. 

66  My  name  is  Wunaumon  ;  what  is  yours  ?  " 

"  We  will  wrestle.  If  you  throw  me,  I  will  tell  you 
my  name.  You  will  win  much  from  me  if  I  fall.  Let 
us  try  our  strength." 

Wunaumon  stood  up  on  the  prairie.  He  was  very 
tall  and  strong. 

"  Come,  Red  Feather,"  he  said. 

"  That  is  not  my  name,"  the  stranger  answered.  "  If 
I  fall,  you  shall  know  my  name.  You  shall  have  a 
great  gift.  You  must  conquer  me.  The  gift  is  for  all 
your  people." 

It  was  morning  when  the  two  began  to  wrestle. 
They  were  both  very  strong.  One  could  not  make  the 
other  fall.  They  had  no  more  breath.  They  stopped 
and  began  again.  They  did  this  many  times.  It  was 
a  great  battle. 

The  sun  began  to  go  down.  Wunaumon  thought  that 
the  sun  was  ashamed  to  see  his  weakness.  Wunaumon 
put  his  feet  very  hard  on  the  ground.  He  grew  very 
fierce.  His  arms  were  strong  like  the  legs  of  a  bear. 
There  was  a  great  noise.  "  Red  Feather,  I  have  made 
you  fall,"  said  he  ;  "  what  is  your  name  ?  " 


MONDAHMIN,  WHO   GAVE  THE   CORK        135 

"  Mj  name  is  Mondahmin.  My  body  is  my  gift  to 
you.  Cover  me  with  the  fine  dust  where  we  have 
wrestled.  Come  to  this  place  often.  You  will  see  me 
again.  I  will  bring  gifts  out  of  this  prairie  to  your 
people." 

Wunaumon  covered  Mondahmin.  He  went  into  the 
forest  and  waited  one  moon.  He  came  back  to  the 
place  of  wrestling.  Two  green  feathers  were  waving 
in  the  air  above  the  little  hill  he  had  made.  A  voice 
like  singing  came  out  of  the  green  plumes. 

"  This  is  the  corn,  the  gift  of  Mondahmin.  Watch 
this  plant  and  take  the  seeds  to  the  tribe  that  lives 
nearest  you.  Tell  them  to  make  a  feast  to  Mondah 
min  in  the  Moon  of  Fruits." 

Wunaumon  took  the  corn  in  the  month  of  fruits. 
He  told  the  tribe  to  keep  the  feast.  The  gift  of 
Mondahmin  was  good.  It  saved  the  people  from 
hunger. 

Schoolcraft. 


XIX.     THE   MARRIAGE   OF   MONDAHMIN 

(POTTAWOTTOMl) 

E  old  chiefs  tell  the  young  men,  and  all  who  will 
listen,  that  two  great  spirits  rule  the  world.  One 
is  very  good,  but  the  other  does  only  wicked  things. 
The  Good  Spirit  made  the  world  and  filled  it  full  of 
men  and  women.  The  wicked  spirit  would  not  let  one 
person  thank  the  Good  Spirit  for  his  gifts  to  them. 

All  tribes  had  much  food,  for  there  were  many  deer, 
elk,  and  buffalo,  and  the  rivers  were  full  of  fish.  Water, 
light,  and  fire  were  given  to  every  one  ;  but  not  one  gave 
thanks  for  these  things.  They  forgot  the  Good  Spirit 
and  the  bad  spirit  was  glad.  He  showed  them  how  to 
fight  and  to  make  war. 

The  Good  Spirit  did  not  like  to  have  men  forget 
him.  He  lifted  up  the  whole  world  and  dropped  it 
into  a  great  lake.  All  the  people  were  drowned  except 
ing  one  young  chief  who  had  kindness  in  his  heart. 
He  gave  thanks  for  his  life,  and  a  sister  was  given  to 
him,  for  the  wigwams  were  empty  and  he  was  alone. 
He  called  his  sister  White  Earth. 

136 


THE   MARRIAGE    OF   MONDAHMIN  137 

The  young  chief  dreamed  that  five  strangers  came  to 
see  his  sister.  The  Good  Spirit  whispered  to  his  heart 
that  she  must  not  see  nor  speak  to  one  of  them  until 
the  fifth  one  came  to  her  wigwam.  If  she  did  not  say 
anything  nor  see  them,  they  would  give  her  greater 
gifts  than  she  could  ask.  She  must  not  be  afraid  if 
they  fell  down  with  no  more  life  in  them  when  she  did 
not  answer.  But  all  the  world  would  be  happy  if 
she  smiled  and  welcomed  the  fifth  stranger. 

They  came  the  next  day.  The  first  one  was  tall  and 
wore  a  green  blanket.  White  Earth  did  not  look  nor 
answer  him  when  he  spoke. 

The  stranger  stood  very  still,  and  then  his  blanket 
changed  into  leaves,  and  Usama  the  tobacco  plant  fell 
down  to  the  ground. 

The  next  visitor  was  very  short  and  round.  He 
could  not  walk  fast.  The  girl  did  not  say  one  word 
when  he  asked  her  to  look  at  him.  She  did  not  see 
him,  but  her  brother  was  watching,  and  he  laughed  when 
Wapako  the  pumpkin  rolled  over  and  down  the  hill. 
The  girl  was  very  wise  and  knew  how  to  keep  silent. 

Eshkossim  the  melon  and  Kokees  the  bean  came 
together  and  called  to  White  Earth  the  maiden  to  wel 
come  them.  She  did  not  answer,  and  they  fell  down 
the  same  as  the  two  who  had  come  before  them. 

Soon  she  heard  a  strong  voice  calling  to  her  the  fifth 
time.  The  girl  untied  the  strings  that  fastened  her 


138  WIGWAM   STORIES 

door,  and  looking  up  she  saw  a  very  tall  chief  with 
feathers  in  his  scalp  lock.  She  loved  his  voice,  for  it 
was  like  the  wind  in  the  pine  trees.  She  said  :  "  You 
are  welcome,  Dalimin.  I  will  take  you  to  my  brother. 
He  will  call  you  Mondahmin." 

The  brother  gave  his  sister  White  Earth  to  Mondah 
min,  for  the  Good  Spirit  had  sent  him  to  her. 

After  the  wedding  feast  a  great  wind  came,  and  then 
much  rain.  In  a  few  days  the  ground  was  covered 
with  the  green  leaves  of  growing  plants.  Usama  the 
tobacco  had  come  with  all  of  his  tribe  to  give  gifts  to 
the  great  chief  Mondahmin  the  corn  plant.  Wapako 
the  pumpkin,  Eshkossim  the  melon,  and  Kokees  the 
bean,  all  brought  many  gifts  to  Mondahmin  and  his 
wife.  They  promised  to  bring  the  same  gifts  each 
year  as  long  as  the  rains  should  come  and  the  sun 
give  his  light  and  make  them  warm. 

Mondahmin  and  his  wife  gave  thanks  to  the  Good 
Spirit.  They  taught  their  children  these  things.  The 
Indians  call  Mondahmin  their  grandfather,  and  they  do 
all  the  things  he  told  them.  The  Indians  do  not  forget 
to  give  thanks  for  the  corn,  bean,  pumpkin,  and  melon. 

Schoolcraft. 


XX.     THE   PRAIRIE   DANDELION 


(ALGONQUIN) 

the  Southland,  flat  upon  the  ground, 
lies  the  spirit  of  the  south  wind.  He  is 
a  very  fat  and  very  lazy  old  man.  His 
eyes  are  always  toward  the  cool  north,  but 
he  will  not  stir  from  his  resting  place. 

When  he  sighs  the  air  is  filled  with 
warm  breezes.  In  the  autumn  his  breath 
is  filled  with  the  odor  of  apples  and  all 
manner  of  fruits.  He  sends  the  golden  Indian  Sum 
mer  to  the  Northland.  Shawondasee  is  the  name  of 
this  spirit  of  the  south  wind. 

One  day,  while  looking  toward  the  prairies  of  the 
north,  he  saw  a  beautiful  girl  with  yellow  hair  standing 
on  the  plains  in  the  west.  Every  morning  for  days  he 
saw  this  maiden,  and  she  seemed  more  lovely  each  day. 
But  another  morning  when  he  opened  his  sleepy 
eyes  and  looked,  the  yellow  locks  on  the  maiden's 
head  were  changed  to  fleecy  white. 

"  Ah  !  my  brother,  the  strong  north  wind,  has  been 
more  swift  than  I,  as  he  ever  is.  He  has  put  his  frost 
crown  on  the  maiden's  head.  I  will  mourn  for  her." 

130 


140  WIGWAM   STOKIES 

Shawondasee  heaved  a  number  of  warm  sighs,  and 
as  the  pleasant  south  breezes  reached  the  maiden  the 
air  seemed  filled  with  tiny  feathers.  The  maiden  had 
vanished  with  her  crown. 

It  was  no  Indian  maiden.  It  was  only  the  prairie 
dandelion,  and  the  crown  that  Shawondasee  thought 
the  north  wind  had  given  her  was  only  her  crown  of 
feathery  seeds ;  but  the  lazy  Shawondasee  never  knew 
the  secret,  and  mourned  for  his  loss  and  envied  his 
brother. 

Schoolcraff. 


XXL     THE   SHADOW   CANOE 

A  Legend  of  Minnehaha  Falls 
(DAKOTA) 

TN  a  wigwam  by  the  Falls  of  Minnehaha  lived  an 
Indian  brave  with  his  family.  Ampata  was  his  wife, 
and  two  happy  children  played  in  the  sunshine  around 
his  wigwam.  The  little  family  went  in  the  winter  with 
their  tribe  farther  south,  and  the  smoke  of  their  village 
fires  could  be  seen  for  many  miles. 

Here  Ampata  embroidered  the  moccasins  with  col 
ored  quills  and  grasses  ;  these  moccasins  were  for  her 
husband  and  her  children.  Here  she  made  the  buck 
skin  suit  for  her  hunter.  She  sewed  it  with  strings  of 
sinew  saved  from  the  deer  whose  skin  she  had  carefully 
tanned. 

They  all  went  back  to  the  north  in  the  summer  time, 
back  to  the  fall  of  waters  in  the  Great  Father  of  Waters 
and  to  the  Falls  of  Minnehaha.  There  was  good  fish 
ing  in  these  waters,  and  their  wigwam  stayed  there  all 
the  summer. 

141 


142  WIGWAM   STORIES 

In  the  north  she  wove  baskets  of  willows  and  baked 
dishes  of  clay.  She  found  the  red  clay  and  the  yellow 
for  her  husband's  war  paint ;  he  was  a  great  warrior 
and  wore  two  eagle  feathers  in  his  scalp  lock. 

The  braves  of  her  tribe  had  a  great  battle  with  the 
Ojibways.  Her  husband  was  like  two  men  ;  he  helped 
drive  the  Ojibways  back  to  their  own  fishing  grounds. 
There  was  a  great  feast  after  the  battle ;  the  warriors 
sang  and  told  how  brave  they  had  been.  Her  husband 
sang  a  long  song  and  made  a  great  speech. 

After  this  he  told  her  that  he  was  a  great  warrior 
now  and  must  have  two  wives ;  he  was  going  to  marry 
the  chief's  daughter.  Ampata  mourned,  but  he  forgot 
her. 

Ampata  fled  to  her  father's  tent  and  took  her  two 
children  with  her.  She  went  to  the  south  with  her 
father  when  winter  came;  in  the  spring  she  came  back 
to  the  Falls  of  Minnehaha  with  her  tribe. 

Her  husband  did  not  come  for  her,  and  she  was  alone 
with  her  children.  All  the  warriors  went  to  hunt  the 
buffalo  on  the  prairie. 

There  had  been  much  rain,  and  the  river  was  wide 
and  deep.  Ampata  put  her  two  children  into  a  canoe, 
and  taking  the  paddle  got  in  herself  and  pushed  far 
out  into  the  river.  The  women  called  to  her  to  come 
back,  but  she  pushed  away  faster  toward  the  falls. 
The  canoe  leaped  over  the  falls,  and  Ampata  and  her 


MlNNEHAHA   FALLS    IN    SUMMER 
From  a  Photograph 


144  WIGWAM   STOKIES 

two  children  passed  to  the  Happy  Hunting  Ground  of 
the  other  world. 

Every  spring  the  Indians  say  that  on  moonlit  nights 
they  can  see  the  shadow  canoe  of  Ampata  leaping  over 
the  falls.  They  say  white  elk  and  white  deer  watch  it 
from  the  shore. 


XXII.     AN   INDIAN   TEMPERANCE   SPEECH 

ANNAHAR,  the  brave  chief, 
stood  up   in  his  wigwam   be 
fore  his  fellow  chiefs  and  spoke 
these  words  : 


:  Brothers,  hear  !  and  with  the 
heart  keep  my  words.  My  father, 
Kimanchee,  was  a  noble  chief. 
He  was  light  of  foot ;  the  wind 
only  was  quicker.  His  strong 
arm  was  as  a  branch  of  the  mountain  oak.  Joy  was 
with  him  when  he  came  from  hunting.  His  arrow 
never  came  back  without  meat.  The  eye  of  my  father 
never  grew  dim ;  his  strength  grew  with  the  days. 

"  Kimanchee  came  to  the  council  fires.  He  and  his 
brother  chiefs  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace.  Then  the 
warpath  was  overgrown  with  grass.  Peace  came  like 
the  Father  of  Waters ;  joy  like  the  leaping  waters  on 
the  mountain.  These  were  the  blessings  of  Kiman 
chee  and  his  brothers.  They  drank  at  the  spring  in 
the  forest  and  grew  strong. 

"  But  where  is  Kimanchee,  Swif t-foot-of-the-prairie  ? 
The  Fire  Spirit  came  like  the  clouds  of  the  north. 

145 


146  WIGWAM   STORIES 

Fire  and  death  were  on  his  wings.  The  shadows  of 
darkness  were  before  him,  and  the  clouds  and  coldness 
of  the  night  fell  upon  his  track. 

"  The  red  man .  fell  before  the  Fire  Spirit  like  the 
leaves  of  the  forest  before  the  fierce  wind.  Kiman- 
chee's  eyes  grew  dim,  his  arm  fell.  His  swift  foot 
turned  from  the  hunting  trail.  His  arrow  came  back 
to  him  no  more.  .  His  step  was  like  the  buffalo  that 
has  been  shot. 

"  He  slept  with  his  dog  in  the  sun ;  when  he  stood 
up,  his  strength  was  gone.  Kimanchee  fell.  The  joy 
that  stood  by  the  door  of  his  wigwam  stands  there  no 
more. 

"  He  fell  like  a  tree  in  summer.  He  fell  like  a  tree 
torn  by  lightning,  with  its  green  leaves  withered  on 
its  branches.  The  red  man  fell  before  the  fire-water 
like  the  green  leaves  of  the  forest  before  the  storm 
wind. 

"  This  is  the  curse  of  the  fire-water.  Kimanchee, 
Swift-foot-of-the-prairie,  is  no  more.  The  Fire  Spirit 
has  taken  my  father.  His  heart  is  drowned  in  the 
fire-water." 


XXIII.     THE  GIRL  WHO  BECAME  A  PINE  TREE 


(OJIBWAY) 

N  the  shores  of  Gitchee  Gumee,  the  Big 
Sea  Water,  were  many  forests.  Mani- 
touwah  was  a  sacred  grove  of  great 
trees  by  the  water.  Many  pukwud- 
jinnies,  or  little  people,  lived  among 
these  trees. 

Near  by  was  an  Indian  village  of 
many  teepees ;  in  one  teepee  lived 
Leelinaw  with  her  father  and  mother.  She  loved  the 
great  trees.  She  came  very  often  to  sit  in  their  dark 
shadows  and  hear  their  leaves  whisper  to  the  blue  water. 
One  day  a  famous  old  war  chief  came  to  her  father's 
teepee  with  gifts.  Leelinaw  ran  to  the  grove,  for  she 
did  not  love  the  old  war  chief.  Her  father  took  his 
gifts,  and  she  was  to  be  the  old  war  chief's  bride. 
Her  heart  was  very  heavy. 

The  stranger  went  away  for  a  time.  Leelinaw  came 
back  and  said :  "  His  voice  and  his  people  are  strange 
to  me.  Leelinaw  will  go  with  him,  for  her  father  com 
mands  her  to  do  it ;  but  first  let  your  child  have  one 
more  day  in  the  grove  by  the  Big  Sea  Water."  The 

147 


148  WIGWAM   STOEIES 

mother  knew  her  child's  heart,  and  the  father  said  it 
should  be  as  Leelinaw  had  asked. 

She  ran  back  to  the  grove  and  leaning  against  a  tall 
tree  told  to  it  her  sorrow.  A  voice  came  to  her  heart 
from  the  rustling  leaves.  She  understood  the  tree's 
language. 

It  said  :  "  Lean  on  me,  Leelinaw  ;  I  am  strong.  I 
will  help  you.  Stay  here  in  the  pleasant  forest  by  the 
Big  Sea  Water.  All  the  trees  will  miss  you,  but  I  love 
you  best  of  all.  Stay  with  us  forever." 

The  gentle  voice  of  the  leaves  comforted  Leelinaw. 
She  went  back  to  the  teepee.  In  the  morning  she 
dressed  herself  in  the  robe  of  white  deerskin  which 
her  mother  had  made.  She  took  some  wild  rice  in 
her  hand  and  went  away. 

She  did  not  come  back  at  sunset;  then  her  parents 
believed  that  the  war  chief  had  carried  away  his  bride ; 
but  the  next  day  he  came  asking  for  Leelinaw  or  his 
gifts. 

The  parents  called  the  men  of  the  village  together 
and  searched  through  the  forest.  The  father  gave 
back  his  gifts  to  the  war  chief,  for  Leelinaw  could 
not  be  found. 

Three  moons  had  gone  when  two  Indians  in  their 
birch-bark  canoe  saw  Leelinaw  sitting  by  the  Big  Sea 
Water  watching  them.  Beside  her  stood  a  tall  brave 
with  green  feathers  in  his  hair.  The  two  Indians  in 


THE  GIRL  WHO  BECAME  A  PINE  TREE       149 

the  boat  called  to  the  two  on  the  shore.  Leelinaw 
waved  her  hand  to  them.  Then  they  could  see  her 
no  more,  but  two  tall  pines  stood  in  the  place  where 
she  and  the  brave  had  been  resting.  No  trees  had 
been  there  before. 

Then  the  two  Indians  went  to  the  village  and  told 
the  father  and  mother  of  Leelinaw.  "  The  little  people 
have  done  this  thing,"  said  the  parents.  "  Let  us  take 
gifts  to  the  two  pine  trees." 

They  did  so,  and  the  pine  leaves  sang  sweet  songs  to 
them,  but  the  parents  thought  it  was  only  the  summer 
wind. 


APACHE  WOMAN  WITH  HER  HANDIWORK.      YUCCA  PLANT 
IN  FOREGROUND 

From  a  Photograph 


XXIV.     THE   WHITE    STONE   CANOE 

(ClIIPPEWA) 

AN  Indian  girl  died  on  her  wedding  day.  She  was 
married  to  a  young  chief  of  the  Chippewas. 

The  chief  was  brave,  but  his  heart  was  not  strong 
enough  to  bear  this  loss.  There  was  no  more  peace 
for  him  from  that  hour.  He  went  often  to  her  burial 
wigwam,  the  wigwam  of  the  dead.  He  forgot  war 
and  hunting.  He  pushed  aside  his  war  club  and  his 
hunting  arrows. 

He  had  heard  his  people  say  that  there  was  a  path 
that  led  to  the  Happy  Land  of  Souls.  He  told  his 
people  he  was  going  to  find  this  path  and  seek  this 
Happy  Land.  He  made  ready  his  bow  and  his 
arrows.  He  set  out  on  his  journey,  and  his  dog  fol 
lowed  him.  He  did  not  know  which  way  to  go  at 
first.  He  only  knew  that  he  must  go  toward  the 
south. 

For  a  while  he  could  see  no  change  in  the  face  of  the 
country.  Hills,  valleys,  forests,  and  rivers  had  the 
same  look  as  in  his  own  land.  There  was  snow  when 
he  started.  He  could  see  it  now  piled  thick  on  the 
trees  and  the  bushes. 

151 


152  WIGWAM   STORIES 

At  last  there  was  no  more  snow.  The  trees  were 
covered  with  buds ;  everything  seemed  bright  and 
cheerful.  He  knew  that  he  had  come  to  the  land  of 
spring.  The  air  was  warm ;  there  were  110  dark  snow 
clouds  in  the  sky.  A  field  of  blue  was  over  his  head, 
and  a  field  of  green  was  at  his  feet.  He  saw  flowers 
around  him;  he  knew  he  was  far  from  the  land  of 
snow  and  ice. 

Birds  sang  in  the  trees ;  all  signs  showed  him  that 
he  was  on  the  right  trail,  for  he  had  heard  his  tribe 
tell  of  these  things. 

He  went  on.  At  last  the  trail  he  was  following  was 
lost.  He  saw  ahead  of  him  a  new  path  covered  with 
flowers ;  this  showed  that  he  was  near  the  end  of  his 
journey.  The  path  led  him  through  a  grove,  then  up 
a  long  hilly  ridge,  at  the  top  of  which  he  came  to  a 
wigwam  or  lodge. 

At  the  door  of  this  lodge  stood  an  old  chief  with 
hair  like  the  snow  on  the  mountain.  His  eyes  shone 
like  the  fire  in  a  cave,  for  his  eyebrows  were  thick  and 
white.  He  held  a  staff  in  his  hands,  and  a  long  robe 
of  skins  was  thrown  over  his  shoulders. 

The  young  Chippewa  began  to  tell  his  story.  The 
old  chief  stopped  him. 

"  I  have  expected  you,"  he  said,  "  and  have  just 
come  to  my  door  to  welcome  you.  The  one  you  seek 
rested  in  my  lodge.  The  sun  has  set  but  three  times 


THE   WHITE    STONE   CANOE  153 

since  she  left.  Come  in;  when  your  feet  have  found 
rest  I  will  show  you  where  to  find  her." 

The  Chippewa  sat  down  in  the  lodge  and  rested. 
"I  am  ready/'  he  said  very  soon,  and  the  old  chief 
led  the  Chippewa  to  the  door.  There  they  stood  and 
looked  at  the  great  prairies  below. 

"  That  is  the  Land  of  Souls,"  said  the  white-haired 
chief  ;  "  my  lodge  is  the  gateway.  Only  your  soul  can 
go  into  that  land.  Leave  your  body  here  ;  leave  here 
your  bundle,  your  bow  and  arrows,  and  your  dog.  You 
will  find  them  all  safe  here  when  you  come  back." 

The  Chippewa  obeyed.  The  dog  guarded  his  master's 
burdens,  while  the  freed  traveler  leaped  forward  as  if 
flying.  He  had  no  guide. 

Everything  kept  its  natural  color  and  shape,  except 
that  all  things  were  more  bright,  more  beautiful  than 
ever  before.  There  were  animals  near  him,  but  even 
the  little  rabbit  showed  no  fear. 

One  strange  thing  he  noticed  from  the  first.  His 
going  was  not  stopped  by  trees  nor  rocks,  for  nothing 
hindered  him.  He  could  go  through  whatever  was  in 
his  path.  They  were  only  the  souls  or  shadows  of  trees. 
He  was  only  a  shadow  himself  in  a  land  of  shadows. 

Soon  he  reached  a  large  lake  ;  he  saw  a  green  island 
in  the  center  of  it.  The  white-haired  chief  had  told 
him  when  he  left  the  lodge  that  he  would  find  this 
lake,  and  on  its  shore  he  would  meet  his  lost  bride. 


154  WIGWAM   STORIES 

He  saw  no  one,  but  a  beautiful  canoe  of  shining 
white  stone  was  tied  to  a  rock  at  his  feet,  and  a  shin 
ing  paddle  lay  in  it.  He  stepped  into  the  canoe  and 
lifting  the  paddle  turned  round.  He  saw  his  bride  in 
another  stone  canoe  at  his  side. 

The  two  canoes  left  the  shore  like  two  white  swans. 
Great  waves  came  on  the  lake.  The  white  stone  canoes 
rode  on  the  top  of  the  waves. 

The  Great  Manitou  was  good.  The  Chippewa  and 
his  bride  reached  the  Happy  Island  of  Rest.  Here  they 
sat  and  talked  of  their  happiness.  They  forgot  that  they 
had  ever  suffered  ;  all  things  made  them  happy. 

The  Great  Manitou  talked  to  the  Chippewa  chief  in 
a  soft  wind. 

"  Go  back,"  said  the  voice,  "  go  back  to  the  land  of  the 
Chippewas  and  teach  them.     The  white-haired  chief  at 
the  lodge  at  the  gate  will  tell  you  many  things.     Y 
have  many  winters  to  see  before  you  can  stay  here  forever. 
Your  bride  will  wait  for  you  on  the  Island  of  Rest." 

The  soft  wind  grew  still.  The  young  chief  awoke. 
His  dog  was  by  his  side.  Great  peace  was  in  the  young 
chief's  heart,  —  but  his  journey  was  only  a  dream. 

He  came  back  to  his  life  and  his  work.  He  taught 
his  people  many  things.  He  was  very  brave.  Before 
he  died  he  told  his  people  his  dream,  and  his  tribe  gave 
him  a  great  name,  for  he  had  done  much  good  to  his 

Pe°Ple'  Schoolcraft. 


XXV.  THE  GREAT  BEAR  IN  THE  SKY 


(IROQUOIS) 

T  seems  strange  that  the  Iroquois  should 
have  named  our  Big  Dipper  with  the 
other  name  by  which  we  also  know  it. 
They  called  it  the  Great  Bear,  and  pointed 
it  out  to  the  white  man  in  early  days. 

The  Iroquois  have  this  story  about  the 
Great  Bear  in  the  sky : 


Seven  braves  were  chasing  a  bear,  which  ran  from 
the  woods  to  a  mountain.  This  mountain  was  the 
ho  e  of  a  stone  giant  ;  all  but  three  hunters  were 
destroyed  by  the  falling  stones  which  he  threw. 

The  three  hunters  with  the  bear  were  lifted  up  into 
the  sky  by  the  spirits  of  the  four  winds. 

The  bear  can  be  seen  in  the  sky.  He  is  followed  by 
the  first  hunter,  who  has  his  bow  in  his  hand.  The 
second  hunter  comes  next  with  a  kettle.  The  third 
hunter  is  far  behind  them  all,  and  he  is  gathering 
sticks. 

The  first  hunter  shoots  at  the  bear  in  the  Moon  of 
Falling  Leaves.  The  red  maple  leaves  and  the  leaves 

155 


156  WIGWAM   STORIES 

of, the  oak  show  the  hurt  the  bear  has  received.  After 
this  moon  the  bear  hides  for  a  time,  but  he  cornes  back 
after  a  while  as  brave  as  ever. 

The  hunter  with  the  bow  never  kills  him;  the 
hunter  with  the  kettle  never  cooks  his  flesh ;  the  hunter 
gathering  sticks  never  builds  the  fire. 


XXVI.     THE   NORTH   STAR 

(OJIBWAY) 

'HREE  Ojibway  hunters  had  been  out 
hunting  for  meat  many  days ;  it  was 
in  a  new  place.  The  woods  were 
very  thick,  but  there  were  no  deer 
in  them.  The  hunters  had  nothing 
to  eat ;  they  had  no  water,  for  there 
was  none  ;  they  were  lost  in  the 
thick  forest. 

The  hunters  sat  down  and  smoked  the  pipe  of 
peace.  They  offered  the  smoke  to  the  manitous  who 
might  live  in  the  woods.  They  asked  the  manitous 
to  help  them.  The  day  sun  was  gone  and  there  was 
no  night  sun. 

The  chief  covered  his  head  with  his  blanket  and 
chanted  : 

"  Our  wigwams  will  see  us  no  more.  We  will  stay 
here  forever.  We  can  go  no  further." 

A  little  pukwudjinnie  came  out  of  a  hollow  tree 
when  the  chief  had  chanted  his  story.  The  Little  One 
was  like  a  little  papoose,  but  he  was  very  old  and  knew 
very  much. 

157 


158  WIGWAM   STORIES 

He  said  :  u  I  will  help  the  hunters.  I  will  show  you 
the  trail." 

He  pulled  the  thick  bushes  apart,  and  the  hunters 
followed.  He  found  the  trail  and  soon  came  upon  a 
herd  of  deer  feeding  in  the  bush.  The  hunters  shot 
two  deer  and  ate  much  meat ;  they  were  stronger  after 
they  had  eaten  the  meat.  The  Little  One  did  not  eat ; 
he  was  not  hungry. 

There  was  no  rain,  and  the  hunters  had  no  water; 
they  lost  their  strength  and  could  not  walk  on  the 
trail.  The  pukwudjinnie  left  them  ;  then  the  hunters 
put  their  blankets  over  their  heads  and  sat  down. 
They  said  no  words.  They  could  not  smoke  the  pipe 
of  peace,  for  their  strength  was  all  gone. 

The  Little  One  came  back  with  a  deerskin  full  of 
drink  for  them  ;  he  poured  it  into  their  mouths ;  it 
was  not  water;  it  was  like  no  drink  they  ever  had 
before.  They  became  very  strong  and  wanted  nothing 
more  to  eat  or  to  drink  for  more  than  one  moon. 

He  led  them  on  a  long  trail,  to  the  land  of  his 
Little  People;  he  took  them  to  his  own  chief.  The 
chief  was  like  a  little  papoose,  but  he  knew  all  the 
trails  in  the  forest.  He  knew  all  the  trails  in 
the  sky. 

The  little  chief  showed  the  Ojibway  chief  the  star 
in  the  north,  the  star  that  never  moves.  The  little 
chief  showed  them  how  to  watch  this  star  and  not  lose 


THE   NORTH   STAB,  159 

their  trail.  He  found  their  lost  trail  for  them  and 
sent  them  home. 

The  three  hunters  came  back  to  their  own  wigwams. 
They  talked  in  the  council  and  showed  their  people 
the  star  that  never  moves. 

Other  nations  and  tribes  know  this  star  now,  but 
the  0  jib  ways  believe  that  their  people  were  the  first  to 
know  where  to  find  it  in  the  Great  Blue  Wigwam,  and 
that  the  Little  People  were  told  of  its  worth  when 
their  home  was  on  the  Evening  Star. 


XXVII.     THE   STAR   THAT   NEVER   MOVES 

(ALGONQUIN) 

fN  one  tribe  of  the  Algonquin  Indians  the  story 
is  told  that  the  North  Star  is  the  eye  of 
Keneu,  which  is  their  name  for  eagle.  It  was 
also  the  name  of  a  warrior  of  their  tribe. 

He  had  won  his  name  by  his  great  feats  of 
bravery  ;  his  eyes  never  grew  dim  with  sick 
ness  nor  pain;  he  had  never  shown  fear. 
When  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  his  enemies 
in  war,  he  had,  unarmed,  run  the  gauntlet;  he  had 
escaped  when  all  the  strong  men  of  his  enemies  had 
stood  in  two  lines  striking  at  him  as  he  ran  between 
the  lines. 

Keneu  had  run  into  the  wild  forest,  which  he  had 
never  crossed  before.  He  made  himself  a  war  club  of 
metikomeesh.  Its  seeds  are  set  in  wood  cups.  The 
black  bear,  or  Mukwa,  feeds  on  the  nuts  when  they  fall. 
The  war  club  was  strong  and  heavy. 

Keneu  crossed  the  wild  forest ;  he  found  his  own  vil 
lage.  He  sought  out  the  wigwam  of  the  girl  with 
whom  he  had  played  when  they  were  children. 

When  Keneu  stood  at  the  doorway  of  her  father's 
lodge,  her  father  met  him  and  gave  him  food.  Keneu 

160 


THE    STAR    THAT   NEVER   MOVES  161 

told  his  story  and  all  believed  him,  and  he  asked  for 
the  maiden ;  he  had  thought  of  her  welcome  when  he 
should  come  to  his  home. 

"  Memainggwah  the  butterfly,  -  -  where  is  she  ?  " 
asked  Keneu. 

"  She  walked  the  Pathway  of  the  Spirits  alone  one 
moon  before  Keneu  came/'  said  her  father;  and  the 
mother  wailed  a  mourning  cry  from  the  place  where 
she  sat. 

"  Keneu  the  war  eagle  will  find  Memainggwah.  His 
wings  are  stronger  than  the  wings  of  the  butterfly. 
Keneu  will  go  back  into  the  wild  forest." 

The  warrior,  who  had  so  bravely  fought  his  way  through 
bands  of  men  and  hidden  ways  of  thick  trees,  gave  the 
war  cry  like  an  eagle,  then  bounded  back  into  the  wilder 
ness.  No  one  saw  him  again  as  Keneu  the  warrior. 

The  father  of  Memainggwah,  when  crossing  a  marsh 
one  night,  was  followed  by  a  dancing  light  as  large  as 
half  the  moon  when  it  is  overhead  in  the  sky.  The 
dancing  light  seemed  to  call  out  to  him.  He  heard  it 
say  :  "  I  am  Keneu.  The  Great  Spirit  has  said  that  I 
shall  find  Memainggwah,  but  not  for  many  moons. 
Come  to  this  place  and  seek  for  me." 

The  father  of  the  maiden  went  again  to  the  soft 
marsh  land.  This  time  tiny  lights  flitted  all  about  him. 
Singing,  humming,  whirling,  they  seemed  to  fill  the  air. 
Wawwawtaissa,  little  fire-birds,  the  Indians  call  them. 


162  WIGWAM    STORIES 

One  of  the  little  living  fires  came  and  lit  upon  his 
arrows.  It  sang :  *'  Watch  for  me.  I  shall  go  to 
Memainggwah  soon.  The  eye  of  Kenen  the  war  eagle 
will  shine  through  the  blue  of  the  Great  Lodge.  You 
will  see  Keneu  near  Mukwa  in  the  sky." 

When  three  moons  had  gone  the  father  saw  a  new 
light  in  the  sky.  It  was  where  Keneu  had  said.  He 
took  his  great  peace  pipe  and  offered  smoke  to  the  new 
star.  The  star  never  changed  its  place.  It  shone  like 
the  eye  of  a  war  eagle. 

There  it  has  been  through  hundreds  of  moons.  It  is 
the  eye  of  Keneu.  He  is  happy,  for  he  has  found 
Memainggwah.  She  waited  for  him  halfway  on  the 
Bridge  of  Souls,  made  by  the  stars  which  are  a  white 
pathway  to  the  Happy  Hunting  Grounds. 

White  men  call  this  star  near  Mukwa  the  Great  Bear, 
the  North  Star.  It  never  stirs  from  its  place  in  the 
north.  This  star  helps  lost  men  to  find  their  way  back 
to  the  trail.  An  Indian  in  his  canoe  at  night  can  watch 
this  star  and  know  which  way  to  go. 

Keneu  knew  what  it  was  to  seek  the  lost.  While 
the  North  Star  shines  there  is  hope  for  those  who 
wander  in  the  forest  or  on  the  wide  lakes. 


INDIAN  WOMEN  WITH  PAPOOSES 

From  a  Photograph 


XXVIII.     TRAPPING   IN   THE   HAPPY 
HUNTING  GROUNDS 

(WYANDOT) 


LITTLE  papoose  was  found 
alone  in  the  woods  by  a  squaw. 
A  blind  bear  had  killed  the 
child's  father,  and  a  huge  rabbit 
had  carried  off  his  mother. 

The  little  papoose  was  taken 
to  the  home  of  his  mother's 
sister.  She  named  him  Tchako- 
beech.  He  never  grew  larger  than  a  papoose,  but  he 
was  as  wise  as  an  old  chief.  After  many  moons  he 
made  snares  or  traps  and  caught  the  blind  bear  and 
the  big  rabbit,  but  he  never  saw  his  mother  again. 

Tchakobeech  said :  "  I  will  go  to  the  Happy  Hunting 
Grounds  and  find  my  father  and  my  mother.  I  will 
climb  to  the  sky  and  break  it  open." 

Tchakobeech  left  the  wigwam  one  morning  and 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  tallest  pine  tree  on  the  high 
est  hill  that  he  could  find.  No  one  saw  him.  Each 
time  he  was  near  the  top  of  the  pine  he  blew  his 
breath  on  the  tree,  and  it  grew  twice  as  tall  as  it  was 

164 


IN   THE   HAPPY   HUNTING   GROUNDS         165 

at  first.  He  did  this  many  times,  and  at  last  he 
touched  the  blue  sky.  He  put  his  head  through  this 
blue  wigwam  and  stepped  from  the  tree  into  the  Happy 
Hunting  Grounds. 

Tchakobeech  liked  this  new  country  very  much,  but 
he  could  not  see  any  people.  He  was  lonesome,  so  he 
went  back  down  the  tree  to  the  ground.  He  had  left  a 
sister  in  his  aunt's  wigwam.  She  was  always  ready  to 
run  races  and  to  play  with  him.  He  told  his  sister  of 
the  beautiful  place  behind  the  sky,  and  she  was  ready 
to  go  back  with  him. 

The  tree  did  not  fall,  and  Tchakobeech  made  his  sister 
climb  up  first,  for  then  he  could  help  her  if  her  foot 
slipped.  He  had  made  little  wigwams  on  the  big 
branches  when  he  came  down,  and  they  slept  in  these 
when  the  dark  came. 

They  had  four  sleeps  before  the  sky  was  reached. 
Tchakobeech  made  another  hole  in  the  sky,  and  after 
his  sister  had  gone  through  it  he  broke  off  the  top  of 
the  tree  and  went  through  it  himself.  Nobody  could 
follow  them,  for  now  the  tree  was  too  short. 

The  two  were  very  happy  together  and  played  all 
day  in  the  green  fields.  Tchakobeech  made  two  wig- 
wains  and  picked  many  flowers  for  their  resting  places. 
He  set  his  traps  to  see  if  he  could  catch  any  animals. 
His  sister  told  him  there  was  nothing  to  catch  in  such 
a  beautiful  country. 


166  WIGWAM   STORIES 

Tchakobeech  heard  a  noise  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
and  went  to  his  traps  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  They 
were  all  on  fire,  but  did  not  seem  to  burn.  He  called  to 
his  sister  to  come  and  help  him. 

The  little  trapper  said :  "  Sister,  tell  me  what  I  shall 
do.  I  have  caught  a  great  fire  in  my  traps." 

The  girl  trembled  like  a  leaf  on  a  tree.  She  said : 
"  I  know  what  is  the  matter.  You  have  caught  the 
sun.  Let  him  go.  He  could  not  see  in  the  dark,  and 
his  feet  are  caught.  He  cannot  get  away." 

The  little  papoose  man  could  see  that  she  told  the 
truth.  He  was  so  small  that  the  sun  burned  his  hands 
and  made  him  blind  when  he  tried  to  let  it  out.  Tcha 
kobeech  said :  "  I  have  made  trouble  for  all  the  tribes 
on  the  ground.  I  am  not  wise  any  more." 

Just  then  a  little  mouse  jumped  out  of  a  stump.  It 
had  been  with  its  brothers  to  eat  the  moon.  The 
papoose  caught  the  mouse  and  breathed  on  it  until  it 
grew  as  big  as  a  bear.  Its  teeth  were  very  long.  He 
drove  it  up  to  the  traps,  and  it  bit  the  leather  strings. 

The  sun  jumped  out  of  the  snares  and  went  away. 

He  had  been  gone  a  whole  day.  All  the  tribes 
remember  when  the  sun  did  not  shine,  and  there  was 
no  morning  between  two  sleeps.  It  was  many  moons 
ago.  Tchakobeech  did  not  put  his  snares  in  that  place 
two  times.  The  sun  found  another  place  to  sleep  and 
was  never  caught  again.  Sciwoicraft. 


XXIX.     THE   OLD   MAN   IN   THE   SKY 


(IROQUOIS) 

HE  people  of  the  Six  Nations,  or 
Iroquois,  point  out  to  their  chil 
dren  a  cluster  of  stars  which 
they  call  the  Old  Man.  White 
men  do  not  always  know  where 
it  is.  They  tell  this  story  of  his 
reaching  the  sky,  or  the  Great 
Blue  Wigwam. 
An  old  chief  was  tired  of  life  and  of  his  people.  He 
took  his  bundle  and  walking-stick  and  went  to  the  top 
of  the  highest  bluff.  There  he  sang  his  death  chant. 
His  people  followed,  but  waited  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff. 
While  they  were  watching  they  saw  him  slowly  rise  in 
the  air ;  his  voice  sounded  fainter  and  fainter ;  the 
spirits  of  the  four  winds  raised  him  to  the  Great  Star 
Lodge.  He  was  given  a  place  among  the  stars. 

His  stooping  form,  his  staff,  and  bundle  are  pointed 
out  to  Indian  children  as  they  watch  the  stars  at 
night. 


167 


XXX.     WHERE   THE   MORNING   STAR 
CAME   FROM 

(CHIPPEWA) 

A    MANITOU   lived   with  his  family  near  the   Big 

Sea  Water.      There  were  two   children  in  this 

family  of  the   good  manitou.     The  children  of   good 

manitous  help  the  Indians.     They  do  much  good,  like 

their  fathers  and  their  mothers. 

This  brother  and  sister  were  told  that  their  work 
would  soon  begin.  They  were  to  be  separated.  The 
sister  was  called  to  go  to  the  Place  of  Breaking  Light. 
The  brother  knew  his  work  was  to  be  a  watcher  among 
the  rocks  and  hills.  He  was  to  be  a  Little  One  of  the 
Woods. 

The  day  of  parting  came.  The  sister  sat  with  the 
brother  and  watched  the  sun  go  down  in  the  Big  Sea 
Water.  She  put  her  hand  into  her  brother's  hand. 

1G8 


WHERE   THE   MORNING   STAR  CAME  FROM    169 

The  sister  said  :  "  Watch  for  me,  my  brother ;  watch 
for  me  in  the  morning.  Turn  your  face  to  the  Place 
of  the  Breaking  Light  when  you  waken  from  your 
sleep  in  the  morning ;  watch  for  your  sister.  It  is 
our  father  who  said  I  must  go. 

"  Watch  where  the  Great  Blue  Lodge  is  painted 
with  the  paints  we  now  see  across  the  Big  Sea  Water. 
I  shall  be  in  the  Great  Blue  Lodge  in.  the  Place  of 
Breaking  Light.  My  dress  will  be  painted  with  paints. 
I  will  shine  like  a  drop  of  the  shining  Big  Sea  Water. 
Your  sister  will  see.  Your  sister  will  watch  for  you. 
She  will  not  forget  you." 

The  brother  said :  "  I  will  sit  on  this  rock  in  the 
morning.  I  will  look  toward  the  Place  of  Breaking 
Light.  I  will  watch  for  my  sister  that  is  gone.  I  will 
see  her.  My  father  has  said  it." 

The  Place  of  Breaking  Light  was  very  bright  the 
next  morning.  The  red  was  never  so  red  before.  All 
the  Place  of  Breaking  Light  was  bright  like  a  burning 
forest.  The  sun  was  not  there. 

The  brother  saw  a  new  star.  It  smiled  on  him  like 
the  face  of  his  sister  ;  he  knew  her ;  his  sister  was  the 
Morning  Star  in  the  Place  of  Breaking  Light. 

"  I  have  found  my  sister  ;  she  is  not  lost.  She  is  in 
the  Great  Blue  Lodge  ;  the  spirits  of  the  four  winds 
have  carried  my  sister.  She  is  well." 

The  brother  turned  to  go  back  to  the  wigwam  of  his 


170  WIGWAM    STOKIES 

father,  the  good  manitou.  His  feet  would  not  carry 
him  there.  He  sat  down  in  a  cave  in  the  rock.  He 
saw  himself  in  the  water;  he  was  one  of  the  Little 
People.  He  was  glad,  for  he  had  now  many  brothers. 
They  called  to  him  in  the  cave  ;  he  answered  them ; 
they  were  happy  together. 

The  father  and  mother  often  saw  their  children. 
The  Morning  Star  is  happy  in  her  Star  Lodge.  The 
brother  is  happy  among  the  trees  and  the  rocks. 


XXXI.  THE  WOMAN  IN  THE  MOON 


(ALGONQUIN) 

IN  old  medicine  woman  lived  with 
one  tribe  of  the  Algonquins. 
She  knew  all  the  plants  that 
gave  medicine;  she  could  tell 
of  things  that  would  happen  to 
her  tribe  or  her  family  many 
moons  before  the  things  came 
to  pass  ;  but  she  did  not  know 
one  thing.  She  did  not  know 
when  this  world  would  come  to  an  end.  She  was  for 
ever  asking  the  Great  Spirit  to  tell  her. 

A  inanitou  was  sent  to  her  to  make  her  stop  asking. 
She  said  she  would  stop  when  her  headband,  which  she 
was  weaving,  was  done. 

The  manitou  said  she  must  hide  herself  from  her 
people  or  he  could  not  answer  her  question.  The  ques 
tion  would  be  answered  when  the  forehead  strap  was 
finished.  She  hid  herself  in  the  moon.  There  she  sits 
weaving  the  head  strap. 

Once  a  month  she  stirs  a  great  kettle  of  boiled  corn 
that  stands  before  her ;  while  her  two  hands  have  hold 

171 


172  WIGWAM   STORIES 

of  the  stick,  the  cat  which  is  always  near  her  unravels 
her  headstrap.  She  begins  over  again  when  the  corn 
is  stirred. 

There  you  can  see  her  every  night  when  the  moon 
is  full.  She  has  never  stopped  asking,  the  manitou 
has  never  answered,  and  her  weaving  has  never  been 
finished. 


PH       2 


s  £ 

H 
& 
PH 


XXXII.     THE   SEVEN   STARS   OF   PLEIADES 

(S,.*>' 


little  Iroquois  boys  were 
in  the  habit  of  carrying  their 
dishes  of  succotash  to  the  top 
of  a  little  hill  near  their  wig 
wams.  They  would  sit  on 
this  little  hill  and  eat  their 
supper.  When  the  succotash  was  all  gone,  then  the 
best  singer  would  sing  while  the  other  six  would  dance 
around  the  mound.  Every  night  they  would  do  this. 
No  other  boys  came  with  them. 

One  night  they  planned  to  have  a  feast  of  soup. 
Each  boy  was  to  bring  a  piece  of  meat.  They  would 
cook  it  on  the  hill  and  then  fill  their  clay  bowls  with 
the  soup. 

Their  parents  would  not  give  them  the  meat.  The 
boys  had  eaten  nothing  all  day,  but  they  took  their 
empty  bowls  and  had  a  mock  feast.  They  piled  their 
dry  bowls  after  this  empty  feast  and  danced  around 
the  mound. 

Their  heads  and  their  hearts  were  very  light.  They 
forgot  their  hunger.  They  danced  faster  than  ever 

174 


THE    SEVEN    STARS    OF   PLEIADES  175 

before  ;  their  feet  left  the  ground  and  they  were  danc 
ing  in  the  air.  The  six  boys  were  around  their  leader 
who  was  singing. 

Up,  up,  went  the  boys  into  the  sky.  Their  parents 
saw  them  and  called  to  them  to  come  back.  They 
could  not  do  it.  Whirling.,  floating,  dancing,  they  took 
their  places  in  the  sky,  where  every  one  may  see  them. 

The  leader  stopped  his  singing  and  tried  to  return. 
As  he  was  not  content  in  the  Great  Star  Wigwam,  his 
light  is  not  so  bright  as  that  of  the  six  other  stars. 


XXXIII.     THE   CHIPMUNK'S   BLACK   STRIPES 

(IROQUOIS) 

HE  porcupine  was  chosen  head 
chief  of  the  animals  because 
nothing  could  hurt  him.  This 
was  when  animals  had  tribes 
and  chiefs  like  the  Indians. 

Soon  after  the  porcupine  was 
made  head  chief  he  called  a 
great  council.  When  the  ani 
mals  were  all  seated  in  a  ring  around  the  council  fire, 
he  asked  them  this  question :  "  Shall  we  have  night  all 
the  time  or  daylight  ? ' ' 

Then  the  animals  were  divided.  There  was  much 
talking.  Some  wanted  it  to  be  night  always.  Some 
said  it  was  best  to  have  it  always  day.  The  bear 
wanted  it  always  dark.  He  had  a  big  voice  and  kept 
chanting:  " Always  night.  Always  night." 

Each  animal  said  something.  The  little  chipmunk 
had  a  loud  voice  and  kept  singing  :  "  Light  will  come. 
Light  will  come."  He  has  a  loud  voice  yet. 

The  council  was  held  in  the  night.  The  animals 
could  not  decide  what  was  best,  but  the  chipmunk  kept 

176 


THE   CHIPMUNK'S   BLACK   STRIPES  177 

saying:  "Light  will  come.  Light  will  come";  and 
before  any  one  knew  it  the  sun  began  to  rise. 

The  night  animals,  with  the  bear  for  a  leader,  were 
very  angry.  The  chipmunk  saw  the  day  was  coming 
and  began  to  run.  The  bear  said  it  was  because  he 
was  afraid  and  ran  after  him. 

The  great  bear  was  clumsy.  The  little  chipmunk 
was  quick,  but  the  bear  nearly  caught  him  as  the  chip 
munk  ran  into  a  hole  in  a  hollow  tree.  The  bear 
struck  him,  and  the  black  stripes  down  the  chipmunk's 
back  show  where  the  bear  hit  him. 

The  chipmunk  and  his  tribe  won,  and  night  and  day 
have  come  ever  since  that  council. 


i  « 
I  g 


XXXIV.     THE   ECHO   GOD   AND   THE 
NORTHERN   LIGHTS 

(IROQUOIS) 

r~PHE  Iroquois  seem  to  have  been  the  only  nation  to 
worship  with  feast  and  dance  the  echo  god  of  the 
hills.  When  at  war  with  other  Indian  nations  or  tribes, 
the  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  Iroquois  would  go  out  and 
call:  "Gohweh!  Gohweh ! "  meaning,  "I  am  telling 
you !  "  as  many  times  as  there  were  enemies  slain. 

They  did  this  very  boldly,  for  they  never  believed 
that  strange  nations  could  hear  or  understand  them  or 
the  echo's  answer.  If  any  of  their  own  people  were  slain, 
the  cry  was,  "  Ohweh  !  "  which  meant,  "  Our  own  !  " 

When  they  were  on  the  warpath  and  night  overtook 
them,  the  scattered  ones  were  gathered  in  by  using  the 
call  to  the  echo  god. 

While  planning  an  attack  upon  some  other  band 
runners  were  sent  out  ahead  to  call  to  the  echo  god  and 
find  out  if  it  was  his  wish  for  them  to  fight.  If  no 
answer  came  to  repeated  calls,  the  attack  would  be 

179 


180  WIGWAM    STORIES 

given  up  for  a  time.  Some  form  of  worship,  either 
feast  or  dance,  would  then  be  held,  and  runners  would 
after  this  be  sent  out  again  to  ask  what  the  echo  god 
meant  by  not  answering.  If  by  any  means  an  answer 
came  to  their  wails  and  calls,  then  the  attack  would  be 
made.  If  no  answer  came,  the  band  found  some  other 
tribe  to  destroy. 

A  dance  was  always  given  to  the  echo  god  after  a 
victory,  and  with  this  was  given  a  great  feast,  but 
never  until  they  had  mourned  for  their  dead  and 
decided  what  to  do  with  their  captives. 

The  Iroquois  go  on  the  warpath  no  more.  They 
have  no  longer  any  need  to  call  upon  their  echo  god  for 
help.  They  no  longer  offer  him  the  worship  of  the 
feast  and  dance. 

The  Northern  Lights  were  closely  watched  by  the 
Iroquois.  The  color  of  the  lights  meant  a  great  deal 
to  the  Indian  watchers. 

If  the  Northern  Lights  were  white,  it  was  believed 
that  the  frost  would  shortly  follow  ;  if  yellow,  sickness 
and  much  trouble  to  the  nation  was  feared ;  while  if 
the  lights  were  red,  very  red,  war  and  bloodshed  were 
on  their  way  to  harm  the  innocent. 

If  the  sky  was  mottled  and  it  was  springtime,  that  was 
the  best  sign  possible.  There  was  dancing  and  singing, 
for  a  good  corn  season  was  expected  in  return  for  the 
worship  shown  in  the  dance.  Adaptedfrom  PowdUs  Report. 


XXXY.     LEGEND   OF   MACKINAW   ISLAND 


(CHIPPEWA) 

HE  spirit  that  rules  the  Woman's 
Star  sent  her  son  Osseo  to  the 
earth  one  day. 

There  is  a  little  star  that 
shines  every  evening  near  the 
Woman's  Star.  It  is  jealous  of 
the  Evening  Star,  and  it  sent 
poison -arrows  of  starlight  on 
the  head  of  Osseo.  When  the  poison  light-arrow  struck 
Osseo  he  became  like  an  Indian  who  had  seen  a 
hundred  winters. 

Nothing  old  or  evil  can  live  on  the  Woman's  Star. 
Osseo  could  not  return  to  his  mother.  He  was  brave. 
He  made  no  mourning.  He  made  many  friends  among 
the  Ojibways. 

Oweenee  was  the  daughter  of  a  chief.  She  was  like 
the  red  lily  that  grows  on  the  prairies.  She  had  nine 
sisters.  They  were  like  a  field  of  lilies.  Her  sisters 
had  each  married  a  great  warrior. 

Oweenee  loved  the  old  and  wrinkled  Osseo.  There 
was  none  to  cook  the  deer  meat  his  trembling  feet 

181 


182  WIGWAM   STORIES 

brought  to  his  wigwam.  She  was  very  sorry  for 
Osseo.  Her  sisters  mocked  at  her  pity  for  him.  Osseo 
heard  them  one  day.  He  took  courage  and  asked  her 
to  help  him  bear  his  sorrows.  She  became  his  wife, 
for  she  knew  his  heart  was  as  kind  as  it  was  brave. 

The  chief  of  the  Ojibways  made  a  great  feast.  The 
sacred  dance  was  to  be  danced  by  all  the  young  braves. 
Oweenee's  sisters  mocked  at  her  again.  This  is  what 
they  said : 

"  See  Oweenee.  She  is  like  the  young  vine  that 
clings  to  the  pine  that  is  black  with  burning.  Osseo 
is  like  the  pine  that  the  lightning  has  torn  and  burned. 
Oweenee  would  make  him  like  a  young  pine.  She  is 
blind. 

"  Osseo,  go  from  us.  Leave  Oweenee.  She  is  not 
for  you." 

Osseo  heard  the  sisters.  His  heart  was  very  angry. 
His  eyes  looked  like  the  eyes  of  the  wolverine.  He 
looked  at  Oweenee  and  then  into  the  sky.  He  gave  a 
strange  war  cry  and  shouted :  "  Sho-wain-ne-me-shing- 
nosa  !  " 

This  means,  "  Pity  me,  my  father." 

"  Poor  old  man  !  he  is  calling  to  his  father.  If  he 
goes  back,  Oweenee  will  be  the  wife  of  a  warrior,"  said 
the  sisters. 

Osseo  crept  into  a  hollow  log  to  hide  himself. 

As  quick  as  a  bird  can  fly  he  came  out  of  the  farther 


f       * 
i    u  r -'         •> ! 
LEGEND   OF   MACKINAW  .ISLAND          /1 83 

end  of  the  hollow  log,  but  he  was  no  longer  an  old 
man.  He  was  a  young  brave,  finer  than  any  in  the 
Ojibway  nation. 

He  went  to  Oweenee.  When  he  put  his  hand  upon 
her  she  became  old  like  the  oldest  squaw.  Her  beauty 
went  like  the  lily  that  withers  in  one  day.  Her  sisters 
had  no  words.  They  sat  on  the  ground  and  covered 
their  heads  with  their  blankets.  They  said,  "We 
have  no  Oweenee." 

Osseo  called  her  his  Nenemoshee,  his  sweetheart. 
He  fed  her  at  the  feast.  He  danced  the  sacred  dance. 
His  eyes  were  always  toward  Oweenee. 

The  feast  was  held  in  a  great  lodge.  Music  came  into 
the  lodge  while  they  were  all  eating.  Osseo  understood 
the  music.  It  was  his  mother  talking  to  him. 

"  Come  back  to  me.  There  is  a  place  ready  for  you. 
Your  bowls  of  clay  shall  be  of  copper.  Your  kettles 
of  stone  shall  be  wampum.  Come." 

While  they  were  eating  the  lodge  was  lifted  into 
the  sky.  All  the  tribe  who  were  eating  were  changed 
into  birds.  Oweenee's  sisters  became  crows.  Their 
husbands  became  blue  jays.  Others  were  changed  to 
quails  and  wild  geese.  All  but  Osseo  and  Oweenee 
were  birds. 

Osseo  looked  at  Oweenee  as  they  sailed  through  the  . 
air  in  the  shining  wigwam.    She  was  still  an  old  squaw. 
He  prayed  again  to  his  father.     Oweenee  became  like 


184  WIGWAM   STORIES 

the  lily  again  just  as  the  lodge  rested  on  the  Evening 
Star.  Here  everything  was  peace.  All  things  were 
happy,  and  none  did  harm  to  another. 

One  day  the  son  of  Osseo  was  learning  to  use  his 
bow  and  arrow.  He  shot  one  of  the  singing  birds  and 
a  drop  of  blood  fell  on  the  star.  The  bird  changed 
into  a  woman.  The  child  fell  from  the  star,  and  the 
woman  and  all  the  birds  followed  it,  down,  down  to 
the  same  island  they  had  left.  The  shining  lodge  of 
Osseo  and  Oweenee  followed  them  and  was  fastened  on 
a  high  hill  far  out  in  the  big  lake. 

The  land  was  very  small  there,  and  as  the  birds 
became  men  and  women  again,  the  place  was  very 
crowded.  Each  one  became  smaller  and  smaller  until 
they  were  the  smallest  people  in  the  world.  They 
became  pukwudjinnies. 

Schoolcrqft. 


XXXVI.     HOW   THE   WATER   LILY   CAME 

(OJIBWAY) 

'N  the  old  days  all  men  were  happy.  The  men 
and  women  were  as  happy  as  little  children. 
The  wild  animals  came  when  they  were  called, 
and  there  was  much  food.  The  winters  were 
not  cold ;  it  was  always  like  the  Strawberry 
Moon,  for  the  days  were  warm  and  the  nights 
were  not  cold. 

There  were  many  birds  in  the  trees.  The 
birds  were  all  red,  blue,  or  yellow  like  the  Avar  paint 
warriors  now  use.  The  birds  could  all  sing,  and  there 
was  much  music.  Each  tribe  of  the  red  men  did  what 
was  right,  and  there  was  no  war.  No  one  knew  how 
to  fight  for  a  long  time. 

The  Indians  sat  every  night  outside  their  wigwams. 
They  watched  the  stars.  They  said  the  stars  were  the 
homes  of  those  w^ho  had  walked  across  the  starry  Bridge 
of  Souls.  They  saw  a  star  leave  the  sky  one  night. 
It  came  halfway  to  the  earth  and  stopped.  It  seemed 
like  a  bird  of  fire. 

A  young  brave  had  a  dream  about  the  star,  and  he 
believed  his  dream.  It  seemed  as  if  the  star  came  to 

185 


186  WIGWAM    STORIES 

him  in  his  sleep  and  looked  like  a  white  maiden.     The 
maiden  was  very  beautiful. 

She  said  :  "I  have  left  my  home  in  the  sky.  I  saw 
the  red  people  and  loved  them.  Ask  your  wise  men 
what  shape  I  may  take  that  I  may  always  stay  and  be 
loved  by  their  people." 

The  young  brave  woke  and  told  the  council.  The 
wise  men  said  :  "  Let  the  star  choose  for  herself.  She 
may  live  in  the  top  of  the  pine  tree  or  in  the  heart  of  a 
flower.  She  may  live  wherever  she  finds  rest.  She  is 
welcome." 

The  wise  men  filled  their  peace  pipes  and  offered  the 
smoke  of  their  pipes  to  the  star. 

The  star  came  lower  and  made  the  village  very  light, 
then  hid  herself  in  the  white  rose  on  the  mountain. 
The  star  was  lonely  on  the  mountain.  She  could 
see  the  people,  but  could  not  hear  them  talk.  She  left 
the  mountain  rose  and  went  to  live  in  a  flower  upon 
the  prairie.  Great  herds  of  buffalo  went  by  her.  The 
flower  and  the  star  trembled  at  the  sound  of  their 
hoofs. 

The  wise  men  saw  the  star  rise  from  the  prairie. 
They  feared  it  would  go  back  to  the  sky,  but  a  soft 
breeze  floated  it  over  a  lake.  The  star  saw  her  shadow 
and  the  shadows  of  her  sky  sisters  in  the  water,  and 
she  rested  like  a  canoe  upon  the  water.  The  next 
morning  the  lake  was  covered  with  water  lilies. 


HOW   THE    WATER    LILY    CAME  187 

"The  night  stars  have  blossomed,"  said  the  little 
children.  The  wise  men  said,  "  The  white  star  has 
come  to  live  with  us." 

The  people  went  out  in  their  canoes  and  chanted 
songs  to  the  new  flower.  They  gave  it  this  name, 
"  Wahbegwannee."  It  means  "  the  white  flower." 

Copway's  History. 


XXXVII.    THE   NORTH   WIND'S   DEFEAT 

(CHIPPEWA) 

OHINGEBIS  the  great  loon-bird  lived  in  a  lodge 
alone.  It  was  by  a  great  lake  over  which  thick 
ice  had  come. 

He  had  only  four  logs  of  wood  for  his  fire  for  the 
whole  winter.  But  each  log  would  burn  a  whole 
moon,  and  as  but  four  moons  were  cold,  there  was 
wood  enough. 

Shingebis  cared  for  no  one.  He  liked  the  cold. 
When  the  wind  blew  the  coldest  he  would  go  out  to 
where  the  reeds  grew  through  the  ice,  and  pulling 
them  up,  dive  down  into  the  holes  for  fish. 

Kabibonokka,  the  cold  north  wind,  felt  ashamed  that 
there  lived  anything  which  did  not  fear  him. 

66  Why,  this  is  wonderful.  Here  lives  one  who  cares 
no  more  for  me  than  I  do  for  him.  I  will  try  once 
more  to  see  if  he  will  give  up  to  me." 

Then  came  the  wind  from  the  north  ten  times  colder 
than  ever.  Great  drifts  of  snow  were  heaped  every 
where. 

Still  the  fire  burned  in  the  lodge  of  Shingebis. 
Every  day  he  went  as  before  and  pulled  up  the  rushes 

189 


190  WIGWAM   STORIES 

and  reeds  from  the  ice,  and  dived  down  for  the  fish 
which  were  always  there. 

"I  will  go  to  his  lodge  and  visit  him/'  said  the 
north  wind  one  day,  as  he  saw  Shingebis  dragging 
home  a  great  fish. 

He  went  that  night  to  the  lodge  by  the  water. 

Shingebis  did  not  know  he  was  coming.  He  did  not 
care.  He  cooked  the  great  fish  and  ate  his  supper, 
then  lay  on  his  side  before  the  burning  log  and  sang  a 
mocking  song  about  the  north  wind.  It  was  this  : 

Ka  neej,  ka  neej, 
Bi  in,  bi  in, 
Bon  in,  bon  in, 
Ok  ee,  ok  ee, 
Ka  weya,  ka  weya. 

Shingebis  may  have  known  that  the  one  he  was 
singing  about  stood  outside  his  doorway,  for  he  sang 
this  song  many  times. 

The  north  wind  could  endure  it  no  longer.  He 
would  see  the  creature  that  did  not  care  for  his  hurt 
ing.  He  came  in  and  sat  down  opposite  the  loon-bird, 
the  great  Shingebis. 

This  did  not  frighten  Shingebis.  He  simply  rose 
and  stirred  the  coals  of  the  fire  about  the  log  till  they 
blazed  and  sent  out  a  great  heat. 

"You  are  but  my  fellow  creature,"  kept  singing  the 
brave  Shingebis,  and  he  sat  down  again  in  his  place. 


THE   NORTH    WIND'S    DEFEAT  191 

Very  soon  the  icy  tears  began  to  flow  down  the  cheeks 
of  Kabibonokka.  He  said  nothing  aloud  but  whispered 
to  himself :  "I  cannot  endure  this;  I  must  leave." 

As  he  slipped  out  of  the  doorway  not  saying  a  word, 
he  flew  as  straight  as  he  could  to  the  places  where  the 
reeds  and  rushes  grew.  He  froze  the  roots  very  tightly 
into  the  ice.  "  Shingebis  shall  have  no  more  fish/' 
said  the  ice-cold  wind. 

Yet  Shingebis  found  fish  all  that  cold  Avinter.  He 
was  brave  and  laughed  at  his  trials. 

At  last  the  north  wind  gave  up  trying  to  conquer 
the  great  Shingebis. 

"  Some  manitou  is  helping  him.  I  can  neither  freeze 
him  nor  starve  him.  I  will  let  him  alone." 

When  the  four  logs  were  burned  and  the  four  cold 
moons  had  passed,  Shingebis  still  laughed  and  sang 
in  his  lodge  by  the  water. 

Sclioolcraft. 


XXXVIII.     A   RIP   VAN   WINKLE 

(SlWASIl) 

IANY  moons  before  the  Siwashes 
used  iron  or  gold  or  silver  a  strange 
thing  happened.  It  must  be  true, 
for  it  is  told  by  the  old  men  to  the 
boys  to  this  day.  White  people  do 
not  always  believe  it. 

There  lived  a  great  Siwash  hunt 
er  in  the  land  in  the  west  near  the 
great  river  full  of  salmon,  where  it  comes  into  the  sea. 
His  arrows  gave  him  much  meat ;  his  great  canoe  and 
his  spear  gave  him  much  fish.  He  had  very  many  strings 
of  shell  money  ;  the  Siwash  people  call  it  hiaqua. 

No  one  ever  loved  hiaqua  as  much  as  this  great 
hunter  loved  it.  He  had  many  strings  of  it  around  his 
neck.  He  was  rich ;  but  when  he  waited  in  the  trees 
in  the  forest  for  the  elk  or  the  deer  to  come  that  he 
might  shoot  them,  he  was  always  counting  the  shells 
on  these  strings. 

He  would  say  to  himself  :  "  I  shall  have  more  hiaqua 
than  the  great  chief.  I  shall  have  more  than  two 
chiefs." 

192 


A   RIP    VAN    WINKLE  193 

When  the  great  forest  was  very  still  his  tamanous 
would  come  to  him.  It  was  like  an  elk,  and  it  would 
talk  with  him.  He  waited  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
white  snow  mountain  for  the  elk  to  come. 

The  great  mountain  is  called  Mount  Tacoma.  This 
was  the  home  of  the  Great  Tamanous,  who  puts  only 
good  thoughts  into  the  hearts  of  all  people  ;  when  the 
hunter  sat  long  in  the  tree  and  looked  at  the  mountain 
he  was  ashamed  in  his  heart. 

The  Great  Tamanous,  who  is  the  Good  Great  Spirit, 
seemed  to  ask  him,  "  Where  did  you  get  it,  that  last 
string  of  hiaqua  ?  " 

And  he  had  to  say :  "  I  tore  some  of  the  shells  from 
the  faces  of  helpless  squaws ;  from  their  noses  and  from 
their  lips.  I  paid  them  for  the  shells  with  elk  meat 
so  dry  that  they  cannot  eat  it.  I  know  they  are  starv 
ing,  but  they  could  see  ;  they  did  not  have  to  take  the 
meat.  They  could  eat  leaves  and  berries.  I  know 
there  are  no  berries,  but  they  could  go  on  the  long 
trail  and  find  some." 

"  The  squaws  and  children  were  very  weak  with 
hunger,"  said  the  Great  Tamanous  to  his  heart. 

The  hunter  was  much  ashamed ;  in  the  tree  by  the 
mountain  he  would  be  ashamed,  but  he  never  gave 
back  the  hiaqua.  It  was  good  and  he  wanted  more. 

One  day  he  went  up  the  side  of  Mount  Tacoma. 
His  own  tamanous  came  to  him  while  he  waited;  the 


194  WIGWAM   STORIES 

white  elk  talked  to  the  hunter's  spirit.  The  tamanous 
said  : 

"  You  are  not  wise.  You  are  like  the  mouth  of  a 
great  fish.  You  have  great  hunger,  but  it  is  all  for 
hiaqua.  Your  shoulders  are  covered  with  heavy  strings 
of  hiaqua.  You  have  taken  the  shells  from  the  nose 
and  lips  of  your  own  squaw.  You  sell  her  elk  meat, 
and  she  is  starving  like  the  other  women.  You  will 
not  feed  her  with  the  elk  meat  you  will  get  to-day.  I 
will  send  her  meat.  I  am  sent  by  the  Great  Tamanous. 
Listen !  I  will  give  you  hiaqua  enough  to  fill  your 
heart." 

Then  the  tamanous,  the  spirit  of  the  great  elk  from 
which  his  band  was  descended,  told  the  hunter  a  secret. 
The  tamanous  told  him  of  a  place  on  the  great  white 
mountain  where  was  much  hidden  hiaqua.  If  the 
hunter  would  seek  it  and  obey,  he  should  have  enough 
to  satisfy  him. 

The  hunter  went  back  to  his  village.  He  told  his 
squaw  he  was  going  on  a  long  hunt.  He  took  many 
deerskins  from  his  tent,  and  when  it  was  very  dark  he 
went  away. 

He  made  his  camp  that  night  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Tacoma.  He  could  not  sleep ;  he  could  not  wait ;  he 
saw  the  sun  rise  from  the  top  of  the  mountain ;  he 
had  no  fear.  His  tamanous  had  said  he  would  be 
with  him. 


Tu-ME-NA.      SlWASH   GlRL 
From  a  Photograph 


196  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  hunter  stood  on  a  great  rock  on  the  top  of  the 
mountain  and  looked  down;  at  his  feet  was  a  wide 
hole  ;  he  could  not  shoot  his  arrow  across  it.  The  hole 
was  white  with  snow,  except  that  in  the  middle  was  a 
wide  black  lake ;  across  the  lake  he  saw  the  three  great 
rocks  he  had  been  told  to  find. 

The  hunter  walked  on  the  crackling  snow  until  he 
reached  these  three  rocks.  He  knew  them,  for  they 
were  the  ones  his  tamanous  had  told  him  to  find. 

The  first  rock  was  shaped  like  the  head  of  a  salmon ; 
the  second  was  like  the  good  camass  root,  which  all 
Siwashes  eat;  the  third  rock  was  the  same  as  an  elk. 
It  was  his  tamanous :  it  would  take  care  of  him ;  he 
was  safe. 

The  hunter  dropped  his  pack  of  deerskin  on  the 
ground  before  the  elk.  He  opened  it  and  took  out  a 
great  elk-horn  pick,  and  began  to  dig  in  the  sand. 

He  struck  one  blow  in  the  sand.  Four  otters  rose 
out  of  the  black  lake  and  came  and  sat  at  the  north  of 
him.  He  struck  the  second  blow.  Four  more  otters 
came  and  sat  at  the  south  of  him.  He  struck  the  third 
blow.  Four  more  great  otters  came  and  sat  at  the  west. 

The  sun  was  bright  in  the  east.  It  was  watching 
him.  No  otters  came  and  sat  at  the  east.  These  were 
all  the  guards  for  the  place  where  the  Great  Tamanous 
kept  his  hiaqua.  They  did  not  hurt  the  hunter,  and  he 
did  not  see  them,  for  he  was  thinking  only  of  hiaqua. 


A   KIP  VAN   WINKLE  197 

When  the  sun  was  over  his  head  he  put  down  his 
pick.  He  ate  a  bit  of  dried  elk  meat  and  took  his 
pick  again.  He  struck  a  rock ;  it  broke  very  quickly. 
He  lifted  up  a  piece  of  the  rock  and  saw  a  great  cave 
full  of  shell  money,  full  of  hiaqua. 

The  hunter  put  in  his  hand  and  played  with  the 
shells.  He  lifted  up  strings  of  it,  for  it  was  strung  on 
elk  sinews.  He  threw  the  strings  around  his  neck. 
He  worked  fast,  for  the  sun  was  moving  to  the  west, 
and  he  knew  he  must  go.  He  was  strong,  but  he  had 
a  great  load.  The  sun  was  too  fast  for  him. 

He  stood  up  and  ran,  but  he  did  not  throw  one  string 
over  the  elk  head,  nor  over  the  camass  root,  nor  over 
the  rock  like  a  salmon.  He  turned  his  back  on  the 
great  otters.  He  did  not  offer  them  one  string,  not  one 
shell;  he  forgot  his  promise  to  the  Great  Tamanous. 
He  did  not  obey. 

He  ran  on  with  his  great  load  of  hiaqua.  He 
reached  the  white  snow  on  the  side  of  the  great  pit ; 
then  all  the  otters  jumped  into  the  black  lake  and 
lashed  it  into  white  foam  with  their  bodies  and  tails. 
A  black  mist  came  over  the  mountain ;  the  storm 
winds  came.  The  Great  Tamanous  was  in  the  storm. 

The  winds  blew  the  hunter  from  one  side  of  the  wide 
hole  to  the  other  side.  He  had  his  hands  on  his  money 
and  did  not  lose  one  string.  The  water  helped  the 
winds  to  throw  him  back  to  the  great  rock  on  the  top 


198  WIGWAM   STORIES 

of  the  mountain.  The  hunter  did  not  let  the  otters 
get  one  hiaqua. 

He  heard  two  voices  in  the  thunder;  one  was  the  Great 
Tamanous.  He  heard  the  tamanous  of  all  the  mountain 
scream  to  him  in  the  wind  ;  he  heard  them  laugh. 

His  body  was  like  a  leaf,  as  the  winds  blew  him  and 
tossed  him  from  one  rock  to  another.  They  did  not 
break  a  string;  they  did  not  take  his  hiaqua.  He  did 
not  give  them  one  shell. 

The  night  was  two  days  long ;  he  broke  one  string 
and  threw  it  away  to  the  winds.  They  laughed.  He 
threw  another  string  to  the  thunder  voices.  The  thun 
der  was  heavier  than  before.  He  threw  away  every 
string  of  hiaqua  ;  then  his  body  dropped  on  the  ground 
on  the  side  of  the  mountain,  and  he  went  to  sleep. 

When  his  eyes  came  open  he  was  hungry;  he  dug 
some  camass  root,  and  made  a  pipe  and  smoked.  His 
bones  were  not  broken,  but  his  joints  made  a  noise  like 
a  paddle  on  the  edge  of  a  canoe.  His  hair  was  like  a 
blanket  on  his  back  ;  it  lay  on  the  ground  while  he 
was  smoking. 

"The  Great  Tamanous  has  done  this,"  said  the 
hunter.  He  looked  at  the  white  mountain,  and  his 
heart  was  full  of  peace. 

"  I  have  no  hiaqua.  It  is  all  given  back  to  the 
Great  Tamanous.  I  am  well.  I  have  no  hunger  for 
it.  I  will  go  home." 


A   RIP   VAN   WINKLE  199 

He  found  the  trail  overgrown  with  tall  trees. 

"  Tamanous  has  done  it,"  he  said. 

The  people  in  his  village  did  not  know  him.  He 
asked  for  his  wife,  and  they  pointed  to  an  old  squaw, 
wrinkled  and  with  her  face  bent  to  her  knees.  She 
knew  him  and  pointed  to  his  hair. 

"  Tamanous,"  he  said. 

"  There  is  the  little  papoose,"  she  said.  The  papoose 
was  a  man  with  white  hair. 

"  He  is  your  son  and  my  son,"  said  the  old  squaw. 

The  hunter  looked  in  the  water.  "  I  have  slept  for 
many  moons,"  he  said. 

He  became  a  great  medicine  man,  for  he  was  wise. 
He  taught  the  Siwash  nation  many  things.  He  taught 
them  to  keep  their  promises.  He  told  them  not  to 
forget  the  Great  Tamanous  whose  home  is  on  the  white 
mountain. 


XXXIX.     LEGEND   OF   THE   WAMPUM-BIRD 
AND   THE   BOY 

(IROQUOIS) 

AN  Indian  was  alone  in  the  thick  woods  when  he 
heard  a  strange  sound,  and  looking  sharply  through 
the  branches  and  leaves  saw  a  large  bird.  It  had  no 
feathers.  It  was  covered  with  wampum. 

The  warrior  made  no  noise.  He  ran  back  to  the 
village  and  told  his  chief.  He  was  believed,  for  no 
one  dared  to  tell  false  things  to  the  chief. 

A  great  council  was  called.  The  warriors  were  told 
that  whoever  should  bring  the  bird  into  the  camp 
would  win  a  great  prize,  and  that  prize  was  the  daugh 
ter  of  the  head  chief. 

A  hundred  warriors  took  their  bows  and  arrows  and 
went  softly  to  the  thick  woods  where  the  wampum- 
bird  was  resting.  It  had  flown  to  the  top  of  the  tall 
est  tree.  They  knew  it  was  a  spirit  bird  that  had  lost 
its  way. 

Many  arrows  hit  the  bird,  and  many  strings  of  fine 

wampum  fell  to  the  ground.     Some  picked  these  up 

200 


THE   WAMPUM-BIRD   AND   THE   BOY          201 

and  ran  away,  for  they  were  rich  now,  and  did  not 
care  for  the  prize ;  but,  when  they  reached  the  village, 
the  wampum  turned  to  turkey  feathers  in  their  hands. 
They  hid  themselves  in  their  wigwams.  They  were 
ashamed  of  their  greed. 

The  warriors  who  stayed  and  shot  at  the  bird  gave 
great  war  whoops,  but  the  bird  did  not  fly  away,  nor 
was  it  frightened  at  any  noise  they  made. 

A  little  Indian  boy  from  another  tribe  was  hunting 
in  the  woods.  His  father  had  been  killed  in  battle. 
His  mother  was  hungry,  and  he  had  gone  out  to  get 
meat  for  her.  He  heard  the  war  whoops  of  the  war 
riors,  but  he  was  not  afraid.  He  came  and  watched 
them  shoot  at  the  bird. 

"  Let  me  shoot,"  said  the  little  boy.  The  warriors 
were  very  angry,  but  the  head  chief  said,  "  Let  him 
shoot." 

The  warriors  waited,  and  the  boy  shot  his  arrow. 
The  bird  fell  to  the  ground  close  by  the  boy.  He  gave 
the  splendid  wampum-bird  to  the  head  chief. 

The  boy  was  married  to  the  head  chief's  beautiful 
daughter  the  next  day.  He  was  now  a  chief's  son, 
and  his  own  mother  was  hungry  no  more. 

His  father  had  been  slain  by  the  head  chief's  war 
riors.  The  boy  chief  made  a  law  that  wampum  should 
be  the  price  of  peace.  When  war  was  to  be  declared 
the  tomahawk  should  be  painted  on  a  belt  of  wampum; 


202  WIGWAM   STORIES 

it  should  be  sent  to  the  tribe  they  would  fight  against ; 
when  the  war  was  over  the  two  tribes  should  exchange 
belts  of  wampum  as  promises  of  peace. 

The  head  chief  sent  a  wampum  belt  to  the  boy 
chief's  tribe ;  then  they  had  peace. 

This  is  the  story  the  tribes  tell  of  how  wampum 
came  to  be  used  for  war  and  for  peace. 

Adapted  from  "  Iroquois  ]\Iyths"  Powell's  Report. 


APACHE  SCOUT  READY  FOR  WAR  DANCE 

From  u  Photograph 


XL.     THE   MAGIC   MOCCASINS 

(CHIPPEWA) 

AN   Indian  hunter   shot  at  a  moose,  but  his  arrow 
missed  and  took  the  life  of  another  hunter,  the 
brother  of  Wahkandee  the  Lightning. 

Mukwa,  who  had  made  the  fatal  shot,  wore  a  pair  of 
wonderful  moccasins.  A  manitou  had  prepared  the 
leather  in  the  moccasins  for  himself.  The  manitou 
had  whispered  many  secrets  to  the  leather;  but  he 
gave  it  all  to  the  hunter's  wife  because  of  his  love  for 
her  husband. 

Wahkandee,  the  avenger,  came  into  the  forest  where 
Mukwa,  the  moose  hunter,  was  hiding.  He  saw  the 
feathers  in  Mukwa's\hair  and  shot  his  arrows  to 
avenge  his  brother.  He  heard  the  dry  bushes  crackle 
and  crept  to  the  place  where  Mukwa  had  been.  There 
lay  a  pair  of  fine  moccasins  and  many  dry  moose 
bones. 

204 


THE   MAGIC   MOCCASINS  205 

"  I  will  take  the  fine  moccasins.  Mukwa  will  want 
them.  I  will  find  him." 

Wahkandee  reached  down  to  take  the  moccasins, 
but  they  slipped  away  from  his  fingers.  The  mocca 
sins  fled  across  the  lake,  and  Wahkandee  followed  in 
his  canoe.  They  crept  through  the  thick  brush  in  the 
forest  on  the  shores  of  the  lake.  Wahkandee  followed 
like  the  swift  feet  of  Skika  the  wood  duck. 

The  thorns  tore  his  buckskin  suit,  but  he  never 
stopped  in  the  chase.  The  moccasins  seemed  to  be 
always  within  the  reach  of  his  hands,  but  he  could 
never  touch  them.  Wahkandee  thought  that  the 
black  cloud  at  the  edge  of  the  earth  would  stop  the 
race ;  when  he  reached  the  place  of  the  black  cloud,  it 
was  gone.  The  moccasins  were  always  before  him. 

A  great  mountain  was  in  sight.  Wahkandee  fol 
lowed  the  flying  moccasins  over  rocks,  roots,  and  crum 
bling  stones.  When  going  down  the  further  side  of 
the  mountain  he  saw  a  beautiful  white  wigwam.  All 
footprints  seemed  to  come  away  from  it.  None  went 
toward  it.  The  moccasins  had  disappeared,  and  Wah 
kandee  said,  "  I  will  rest." 

The  white  wigwam  rested  on  the  stump  of  a  great 
pine  tree.  The  wigwam  had  two  doors :  one  in  front 
and  one  at  the  back.  Two  Indian  girls  sat  back  to 
back  in  the  middle  of  the  white  wigwam,  each  looking 
out  of  a  door. 


206  WIGWAM   STORIES 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  "  Wahkandee  asked  the  girl 
who  sat  at  the  front  door. 

"  My  name  is  '  The-one-who-sees-all-things-to-come/  ' 
said  the  girl. 

^  Have  you  seen  the  one  who  owns  the  flying  mocca 
sins?"  asked  Wahkandee. 

a  I  look  before.  I  cannot  tell  what  has  gone/'  said 
the  maiden. 

Wahkandee  walked  to  the  other  door  and  faced  the 
other  Indian  girl. 

"  What  is  yonr  name  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  My  name  is  '  The-one-who-sees-all-things-that-have- 

>  ? » 
gone. 

"  Can  you  see  the  hunter  who  slew  my  brother  ?  " 
asked  Wahkandee. 

"  I  can  only  see  moose  bones  lying  on  the  ground. 
You  are  hungry.  Take  the  moose  meat  that  hangs 
here  on  the  trees  and  eat.  Our  father  will  make  you 
welcome.  You  can  see  his  bow  and  arrows.  He  will 
come.  You  can  sleep  by  the  bones  of  the  moose." 

While  Wahkandee  slept  the  wigwam  was  lifted  from 
its  place  and  it  floated  away.  The  stump  stretched 
out  its  arms  and  became  a  great  manitou.  The  magic 
moccasins  had  changed  into  the  maidens.  They  now 
became  moccasins  again.  One  was  turned  toward  the 
east,  and  one  toward  the  west. 

The  manitou  touched   the   dry  bones  of   the   moose. 


THE   MAGIC    MOCCASINS  207 

The  lost  hunter  stood  before  him.  He  put  on  his 
moccasins.  The  manitou  touched  Wahkandee,  and  he 
became  like  the  dry  bones  of  the  moose.  He  never 
woke  from  his  sleep. 

The  manitou  turned  the  hunter's  head  toward  his 
home  in  the  north.  The  magic  moccasins  carried  him 
home.  He  went  as  the  wild  bee  goes  back  to  its  tree. 
The  hunter  told  the  story  of  his  moccasins  around  the 
council  fire. 

The  women  tried  to  learn  from  his  wife  the  secret  of 
their  making.  She  told  them  how  she  colored  the 
quills  for  the  patterns  she  made  on  the  leather.  She 
told  them  how  she  sewed  them  with  sinew.  This  the 
women  could  see ;  but  they  could  not  see  that  her  fin 
gers  had  been  warm  with  love  for  her  husband  when 
she  wove  the  quills  into  the  leather  and  when  she 
sewed  it  with  the  sinew. 

The  women  could  not  know  the  secrets  the  manitou 
had  whispered  to  the  leather ;  nor  did  iJiey  know  of 
the  love  the  manitous  have  for  those  who  try  to  please 
them.  This  was  why  the  hunter  was  saved  w'hen  he 
did  the  wrong  that  was  not  in  his  heart  to'  do.  All 
the  squaws  have  tried  to  make  magic  moccasins,  but 
only  Mukwa  has  ever  worn  them. 


XLI.     OPECHEE   THE   ROBIN   REDBREAST 

GREAT  hunter  among  the  Chippewas, 
or  0  jib  ways,  wanted  his  son  to  se 
cure  a  powerful  spirit  to  protect 
him  in  war  and  all  danger.     To 
gain  the  help  of  the  strong  mani- 
tou  the  boy  must  fast  twelve  days. 
Many  Indian  boys  can  do  this, 
but  not  all.     Many  try  and  fail. 

The  boy  did  as  his  father  commanded,  for  when  the 
time  came  he  went  into  the  secret  lodge  in  the  deep 
forest  and  laid  himself  down  alone  on  the  mat  his 
mother  had  woven  for  him.  He  did  not  fear,  but  his 
strength  was  weak.  All  night  he  lay  there  alone. 

In  the  morning  his  father  came  and  asked  him  if 
the  strong  spirit  had  come  to  him  in  his  dreams.  The 
boy  shook  his  head.  No  dreams  had  come  to  him. 

Each  day  for  ten  days  the  father  came  to  the  little 
lodge  in  the  wilderness  and  asked  his  son  if  the  strong 
manitou  had  come  to  him. 

''  It  is  not  for  me  to  have  such  dreams,  my  father. 
I  am  not  brave.  The  strong  manitou  will  not  come 
to  me.  Let  me  give  up  my  fast." 


OPECHEE    THE    ROBLN"    REDBREAST  209 

"  If  you  give  up  now,  the  manitou  will  never  come. 
Hunger  makes  my  son  weak,  but  his  heart  is  strong. 
It  is  only  a  short  time  more  to  wait.  Then  my  son 
shall  be  the  strongest  of  all." 

The  Indian  boy  covered  his  face  and  lay  still  upon 
the  mat.  He  would  obey  his  father.  The  morning  of 
the  eleventh  day  the  boy  saw  his  father  enter  the 
wigwam.  He  slowly  turned  his  face  toward  him 
and  whispered :  "  Let  me  break  my  fast  ;  I  have  no 
dreams." 

"  To-morrow  I  will  bring  you  food.  To-morrow  you 
shall  come  to  the  lodge  of  your  father." 

The  boy  closed  his  eyes  and  said  no  more.  He  was 
very  weak  and  faint. 

The  next  morning  the  father  went  with  the  earliest 
morning  light  to  the  little  lodge  in  the  forest.  Peep 
ing  through  the  door  he  saw  his  son  sitting  up. 
Beside  his  mat  were  brushes  and  paint.  He  was 
painting  himself  red  and  brown. 

"  The  manitou  will  free  me,  but  it  is  not  the  spirit 
my  father  wanted,"  he  heard  the  boy  say. 

The  father  rushed  into  the  lodge,  but  as  he  touched 
his  boy  the  lad  changed  into  a  bird  and  flew  out  of  the 
open  doorway.  Sitting  on  the  top  of  the  lodge  he  sang 
these  words: 

"  Do  not  mourn  for  me,  my  father,  for  I  am  happy. 
I  did  not  want  to  be  a  warrior.  I  wanted  only  to  be 


210  WIGWAM   STORIES 

free.  I  shall  find  food  upon  the  fields  and  the  hills. 
I  will  comfort  you."  Then  he  flew  away. 

Opechee  lives  near  the  homes  of  men.  He  loves  to 
comfort  them  when  they  are  sad.  He  is  happy  when 
they  are  happy. 

His  songs  are  for  the  little  children  and  for  the 
fathers  and  mothers  who  want  their  little  ones  to  be 
brave.  Opechee  is  not  afraid  in  the  storm,  and  many 
have  heard  him  singing  just  after  the  great  thunder- 
birds  had  called  to  each  other  and  the  Avater  was 
coming  fast  from  the  sky  to  find  a  place  to  hide  in  the 
ground.  Opechee  is  brave,  but  not  strong. 

Schoolcra.fl. 


XLIT.     THE   INDIAN   WHO   MARRIED 
THE   MOON 

(CHIPPEWA) 

NE  of  the  warriors  in  an  Ojibway  band 
had  a  boy  who   refused  to  fast  as  all 
other  boys  and  men  had  done. 

"  I  like  to  eat  ;  it  is  hard  to  be 
faint  and  hungry,"  said  the  boy 
when  his  father  took  him  to  the 
little  wigwam  in  the  forest. 

"  You  shall  eat  after  the  manitou 
has  talked  to  you,"  said  the  father. 

"  I  will  not  fast ;  let  me  have  my  bow  and  arrows 
and  I  will  hunt  for  you,"  said  the  boy. 

"  If  you  will  not  go  into  the  little  wigwam,  you  shall 
not  come  back  to  my  fire.  You  may  sleep  where  you 
can  find  a  place,  but  never  come  back  to  me  until  you 
have  talked  to  a  manitou/'  said  the  warrior. 

The  boy  ran  into  the  forest  and  hid  himself.  He 
picked  berries  all  day  and  made  a  bed  on  the  moss  at 
night.  The  moon  shone  very  bright,  and  he  thought 
there  was  a  face  in  it,  so  he  asked  the  moon  to  take 
care  of  him  while  he  slept. 

211 


212  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  boy  awoke,  but  it  was  not  day.  A  girl  stood  by 
him  dressed  in  shining  clothes,  and  her  face  was  like 
the  one  he  had  seen  in  the  moon. 

"  I  shall  have  to  go  back  to  my  sky  teepee,  but  you 
must  go  with  me.  Stand  up  quickly  and  take  hold  of 
my  hand.  Come,  Cloud  Catcher,  come,  for  the  stars 
are  going  to  hide,"  and  the  boy  felt  himself  rising  and 
moving  through  the  air  like  a  bird. 

Cloud  Catcher  went  through  the  clouds  into  the  beau 
tiful  country  behind  the  sky,  and  soon  they  stopped  in 
front  of  a  great  teepee  which  belonged  to  a  great  chief 
with  hair  like  fire.  The  chief  was  the  moon  maiden's 
brother. 

"You  are  not  wise,"  said  the  great  chief  to  the 
girl. 

"  I  am  alone  ;  let  me  have  him  and  I  shall  be  happy," 
said  the  moon  maiden. 

The  chief  gave  the  boy  a  pipe  and  a  bow  and  some 
arrows.  "  You  may  stay,"  said  the  sun  chief. 

Cloud  Catcher  and  the  girl  played  in  the  fields  all 
day  while  the  sun  was  off  on  his  journeys.  He  shot  at 
the  stars,  and  sometimes  hit  one  so  hard  that  it  let  go 
and  fell  down  through  the  sky.  The  moon  maiden 
had  a  great  bow  that  she  hung  in  the  sky  at  night 
and  played  with  in  the  daytime.  She  could  shoot 
farther  than  Cloud  Catcher,  but  she  never  hurt  any 
thing  with  her  arrows. 


THE   INDIAN   WHO   MAKKIED  THE  MOON      213 

One  day  the  boy  went  to  the  great  sun  chief  and 
said  :  "  I  used  to  eat  much  when  in  my  father's  wigwam. 
I  am  hungry  for  meat  ;  will  you  give  me  some  ?  " 

"  You  children  of  the  ground  are  very  strange  in  your 
ways/'  said  the  sun  chief.  "  You  have  all  the  sky  to 
make  you  happy,  but  now  you  are  crying  for  meat.  It 
is  not  wise,  but  you  shall  have  it,  for  you  are  one  of  us, 
and  whatever  you  ask  must  be  given.  Come  with  me." 

The  sun  chief  took  Cloud  Catcher  the  next  day,  and 
they  walked  to  a  place  where  the  sky  was  open.  They 
looked  down  on  the  ground,  and  the  chief  shot  one  of 
his  arrows.  It  struck  a  little  child,  who  fell  down  and 
was  carried  into  her  father's  wigwam. 

"  Send  meat  and  the  child  shall  be  well,"  said  the 
sun  chief.  Meat  was  put  on  the  fire  and  burned,  and 
as  it  burned  it  came  up  to  Cloud  Catcher's  feet,  and  he 
ate  it  like  a  hungry  man.  The  child  walked  out  of 
the  wigwam,  for  it  was  now  well,  and  Cloud  Catcher  had 
his  meat.  After  that  feast  he  wanted  to  walk  many 
times  with  the  sun  to  the  place  where  the  sky  was 
broken,  and  every  time  he  asked  for  meat. 

One  day  he  said  :  "  I  will  go  back  to  my  own  country; 
there  my  arrows  will  bring  my  meat  to  me,  and  no  one 
will  need  to  be  sick." 

The  moon  maiden  said  :  "  You  are  going  back  to 
sickness,  to  cold,  and  to  war,  but  you  belong  to  me  and 
must  never  take  a  wife  from  your  people.  Come,"  and 


214  WIGWAM    STOKLES 

again  they  moved  through  the  air  like  birds.  She  took 
him  back  to  his  bed  of  moss,  and  when  he  awoke  this 
time  he  found  his  father  standing  by  him. 

"I  have  seen  a  manitou ;  I  am  to  be  called  Cloud 
Catcher,"  said  the  boy,  as  his  father  took  his  hand  and 
led  him  into  their  wigwam.  His  mother  was  glad  to 
see  him  and  very  proud  of  his  name. 

"  You  are  tall ;  you  are  strong  and  brave.  There  is 
no  one  in  the  tribe  like  you.  Where  have  you  been  ?  " 
asked  the  mother.  The  boy  told  only  a  little,  for  it 
seemed  like  a  foolish  dream,  and  he  was  afraid  no  one 
would  believe  him. 

"  I  fasted  many  days,  my  father ;  then  I  ate  strange 
food  that  came  to  me.  I  am  a  man  now.  My  mother 
is  wise ;  she  will  not  ask  any  more,"  and  Cloud  Catcher 
kept  very  quiet  with  his  tongue. 

He  grew  very  lonely,  and  after  a  time  he  found  a 
wife  who  cared  for  his  wigwam  and  cooked  his  food  for 
four  days,  then  she  was  gone  ;  no  one  ever  saw  her 
again.  He  married  the  second  wife,  but  when  she, 
too,  left  him  he  remembered  the  moon  maiden's  words, 
and  went  out  in  the  moonlight  and  lay  on  a  bed  of 
moss.  When  he  awoke  he  was  floating  through  the 
air,  and  the  sun  chief  called  to  him  to  stop  at  his 
teepee.  There  he  found  the  girl  whose  face  he  had 
watched  so  many  nights  in  the  moon,  and  he  never 
came  back  to  earth. 


PART  III 

STOEIES    RECENTLY   TOLD 
OF  MENABOZHO,  AND  OTHER  HEROES 


Copyright,  1!K)1,  by  Ginn  &  Company 

THE  INDIAN  OF  TO-DAY 

Original  Painting  by  Angel  de  Cora  (Hinook-inahiwi-kilinaka) 


INTRODUCTORY-  -THE   INDIANS'    PRESENT 
CONDITION 


•HE    present  condition    of  the 
Indians  is  very  different  from  that 
"~-  when   the   tribes   roved   for    thou- 
*-  sands  of  miles  either  in  pursuit  of 

enemies  or  for  food. 
Now  they  are  prevented  by  law  from  fishing  or  hunt 
ing  outside  the  boundaries  of  their  various  reservations, 
to  which  they  were  sent  by  the  government  for  different 
reasons.  For  many  years  meat  and  flour  were  given  to 
some  tribes  as  rations  at  certain  periods  of  the  year, 
when  they  also  received  money  and  blankets.  A  num 
ber  of  tribes  have  become  much  like  the  white  man,  and 
live  in  houses  and  have  large  numbers  of  horses  and 
cattle  upon  the  plains  or  on  their  farms  in  the  east ; 
other  tribes,  proud  of  their  ancient  customs,  still  try  to 
live  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  way  of  their  ancestors. 

217 


218  WIGWAM    STORIES 

Their  love  for  their  nation,  tribe,  and  family  is  very 
great,  and  that  is  one  reason  why  a  few  of  the  Indian 
students  become  once  more  Blanket  Indians.  They 
cannot  endure  the  taunt  that  they  have  forgotten  their 
own  people. 

The  old  myths  of  years  ago  are  repeated  in  Indian 
homes,  and  many  of  the  stories,  like  those  told  in  the 
poem  of  Iliawatlia,  are  familiar  tales  to  little  children 
in  western  teepees.  Hiawatha  the  Wise  we  now  know 
is  an  Iroquois  hero  ;  Menabozho,  who  is  called  the  Fool 
ish  or  Sly  One,  is  an  Algonquin  hero,  and  they  are  two 
very  different  characters  in  the  lore  of  two  different 
Indian  nations.  Hiawatha  the  Iroquois  is  always  dig 
nified  ;  Menabozho  the  Algonquin  is  very  powerful  but 
full  of  boyish  tricks. 

MENABOZTIO,  OR  THE  GREAT  WHITE  HARE 

From  the  east  side  to  the  west  side  of  America  the 
Algonquin  Indians  all  have  their  stories  of  Menabozho. 
When  the  story  is  of  some  great  deed  of  Nanabush,  or 
of  Missaba,  you  must  remember  that  these  names  are 
only  another  way  of  speaking  of  Menabozho.  In  the 
different  Indian  tribes  the  languages  are  different ;  but 
those  who  have  been  most  among  these  many  tribes 
of  red  men  find  that  nearly  all  have  some  name  for 
this  Great  Manitou,  or  Spirit, 


f  ^J 

THE    INDIANS'    PRESEf  T\j  $ONDlttl)lsr  -'       219 


C  A ' 

Whatever  was  the  first  cause  oFTftfeif" "belief  in  such 
a  being,  there  is  no  way  of  knowing.  All  people,  no 
matter  how  wild,  believe  in  God ;  but  the  wilder  the 
people  the  more  gods  they  believe  in.  It  is  so  with 
the  Indian. 

The  red  man  seemed  to  believe  every  stone,  every 
bush,  and  almost  every  animal  had  its  manitou  or 
spirit.  These  manitous  were  something  to  be  feared, 
and  to  which  prayer  ought  to  be  offered.  So  we  will 
call  them  the  gods  of  the  Indians.  But  these  gods 
were  ruled  over  by  greater  ones  that  had  wonderful 
powers. 

The  Indians  watch  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  a  great 
deal  and  know  much  more  about  them  than  many 
white  people  who  have  no  time  for  such  study.  When 
they  saw  the  power  of  the  sun  in  bringing  life  out  of 
the  earth  in  the  shape  of  growing  plants  from  hidden 
seeds,  then  the  sun  seemed  like  a  living  spirit  to  them. 

The  name  Menabozho  has  been  found  to  mean  in  the 
Indian  language  the  Great  White  Hare.  It  has  been 
found  to  mean  more  than  that.  Some  one  who  has 
studied  into  the  meanings  of  Indian  words  says  that  it 
means  the  "  god  of  light,"  or  "ruler  of  the  sun."  When 
you  read  marvelous  stories  of  Menabozho  remember 
then  that  the  Indians  who  told  these  tales  first  had  in 
mind  one  of  their  strong  gods,  —  one  who  was  swift 
and  powerful  as  the  light  of  the  sun  ;  one  who  was 


220  WIGWAM   STORIES 

as  kind  as  the  sun  is  to  the  earth,  bringing  food  and 
blessing  to  every  one. 

The  sun  hides  away  every  night;  so  Menabozho 
often  rested.  The  sun  is  often  troubled  by  clouds  and 
storms ;  and  Menabozho  has  many  troubles,  but  usually 
comes  out  very  bravely  from  every  hindrance. 

This  manitou  could  take  many  forms.  He  very 
often  appeared  upon  the  earth  as  a  man,  for  that  is 
the  highest  form  of  all  life.  He  is  said  to  have  many 
homes. 

Some  say  Menabozho's  home  is  in  the  east.  He 
rules  over  the  east  wind  and  watches  the  sun  that  it 
may  follow  the  right  path  through  the  sky.  He  rules 
the  sun.  It  could  not  leave  the  east  without  him. 

The  Indians  in  some  nations  have  a  kind  of  picture 
to  represent  Menabozho.  It  looks  something  like  a 
child's  picture  of  a  rabbit.  People  have  thought  of 
many  reasons  why  the  red  men  should  have  called  him 
the  Great  White  Hare.  The  Indians  themselves  do 
not  seem  to  explain  why  they  did  it. 

We  know  from  many  Indian  customs  and  from  their 
records,  for  they  have  kept  many  records,  that  the  red 
men  lived  in  America  for  hundreds  of  years  before 
Columbus  came.  Where  the  first  Indians  came  from 
the  most  learned  white  man  cannot  tell.  He  can  only 
guess. 

Some  of  the  Indian  stories  tell  that  the  red  man  was 


THE    INDIANS'    PRESENT    CONDITION          221 

created  here  in  America.  That  is  not  strange  for  them 
to  say,  for  they  have  no  remembrance  of  another  land. 
If  they  came  from  across  the  great  ocean  at  the  west, 
or  drifted  across  the  one  at  the  east,  they  may  have 
brought  this  story  of  Menabozho,  the  god  of  light,  with 
them.  Early  travelers  found  some  tribes  expecting  the 
Great  Spirit  to  come  among  them  again  in  the  shape  of 
palefaced  men.  The  same  belief  was  found  far  south 
in  Mexico.  It  seems  very  strange  to  us.  Many  have 
thought  that  it  was  the  coming  of  Menabozho  the  red 
men  expected  when  the  white  men  came. 

This  same  Great  Spirit  who  was  to  come  was  kind 
and  good.  He  would  be  a  brother  to  all  creatures,  man 
and  beast.  Menabozho  called  everything  his  brother. 
Stories  that  the  Indians  are  telling  of  him  to-day  speak 
of  him  as  calling  the  trees  his  brothers. 

Those  who  are  much  among  the  Indians  now,  as 
the  hunters  in  the  northern  forests  are,  tell  of  how 
real  this  kindly  manitou  is  to  the  red  man  in  his 
e very-day  life. 

There  is  a  certain  little  black  swimming  bird  that 
looks  much  like  a  duck,  which  is  called  a  diver.  When 
this  bird  rushes  from  the  reeds  by  the  river  into  the 
water,  the  Indian  who  sees  it  often  cries  out,  "  There 
goes  the  bird  Menabozho  kicked." 

If  the  white  fisherman  tells  a  story  of  some  great 
fish  that  he  has  caught,  or  that  nearly  came  into  his 


222  WIGWAM    STORIES 

net,  then  the  Indians,  among  themselves,  grunt  and 
scoff  at  his  story.  They  can  tell  of  a  larger  fish  than 
any  white  man  ever  saw  or  brought  to  shore.  Mena- 
bozho  sailed  into  its  mouth  in  his  canoe.  And  so  this 
same  being  is  as  real  to  them  as  any  we  have  learned 
of  in  our  childhood's  days. 

The  stories  recently  collected  are  interesting  in  show 
ing  how  alive  is  all  Nature  to  those  who  live  nearest  to 
her.  The  Indian  still  seems  to  understand  with  the 
heart  of  a  poet  the  voices  of  trees,  stones,  and  brooks. 
We  are  glad  to  know  that  many  whites  have  learned 
that  the  red  men  have  a  strong  love  for  justice  and  truth 
and  can  show  mercy  to  those  who  have  been  merciful. 

The  Indian  is  not  a  dull-minded  being.  His  wits  are 
keen,  and  his  judgment  as  fine  as  many  a  civilized  man 
can  claim.  Bat  he  lives  a  life  far  apart  from  the  busy 
city  or  town  life  of  the  white  man,  and  it  is  hard  for 
each  to  understand  the  life  of  the  other. 


I.     MENABOZHO  AND   HIS  THREE  BROTHERS 


HE  Indians  tell  that,  in  a  time 
so  long  ago  no  one  can  tell 
when,  four  brothers  were  born 
on  this  earth. 

The  first  was  Menabozho, 
who  is  the  friend  of  all  the 
human  race.  The  second  was 
Chibiabos,  who  cares  for  the 
dead  and  lives  in  the  Country  of  Souls.  The  third 
was  Wabose.  He  ran  far  away  to  the  north  and  was 
changed  into  a  rabbit,  but  is  still  very  powerful.  The 
fourth  was  Chokanipok,  the  Man  of  Elint. 

Menabozho  did  not  love  his  fourth  brother,  the  stone 
man,  and  had  many  battles  with  him.  These  battles 
were  long  and  terrible.  Traces  of  them  can  be  found 
to  this  day.  Chokanipok's  body  was  as  large  as  a 
mountain.  In  one  of  these  battles  Menabozho's  arrows 
tore  off  many  pieces  of  flesh  from  him.  These  changed 
into  flint  stones  when  they  touched  the  earth,  and  men 
made  fire  by  striking  two  of  them  together. 

At  last  Menabozho  conquered,  for  he  had  more  love 
for  man  in  his  heart  than  had  his  brother,  and  the 

223 


224  WIGWAM    STORIES 

great  firestone  giant  fell,  and  his  pieces  are  scattered 
everywhere. 

This  gave  Menabozho  courage,  and  he  traveled  all 
over  the  earth  teaching  men  how  to  use  stone  and 
bone.  He  taught  them  how  to  make  stone  axes.  He 
showed  them  how  to  make  snares  and  traps  so  as  to 
catch  fishes  and  birds.  He  taught  the  women  how  to 
weave  mats  and  beautiful  baskets. 

While  he  traveled  he  saw  the  huge  creatures  whose 
bones  are  now  dug  up  from  far  under  the  ground. 
Menabozho  slew  these  animals  himself  and  hid  them 
away.  He  opened  the  pathway  for  the  rivers  between 
the  hills  and  mountains.  He  made  the  earth  ready 
for  the  Indian. 

Menabozho  placed  four  spirits  at  the  four  sides  of 
the  heavens.  The  spirit  which  he  put  in  the  north 
sends  snow  and  ice  so  that  the  Indian  may  hunt  dur 
ing  the  cold  moons.  The  spirit  in  the  south  sends  the 
warm  wind  and  gives  the  red  man  corn,  melons,  and 
tobacco.  The  spirit  that  stands  in  the  west  sends  the 
rain,  and  the  spirit  in  the  east  gives  light  to  the 
earth. 

Some  Indian  legends  say  that  Menabozho  now  lives 
on  an  ice  mountain  in  the  great  sea.  If  he,  by  any 
chance,  were  driven  from  his  home  all  things  would 
burn  if  he  should  touch  his  feet  to  the  ground  to 
spring  into  the  air.  The  end  would  come,  for  the 


AN  INDIAN  BASKET  EXHIBIT 

From  a  Photograph 


226  WIGWAM   STOBIES 

sun  could  never  shine  again  without  Menabozho  to 
guide  it  from  the  east  to  the  west. 

When  this  great  manitou  walked  on  the  earth  his 
steps  measured  as  long  as  the  steps  one  tribe  would 
take  in  one  day.  He  could  step  over  mountains  and 
think  they  were  only  ant-hills.  He  could  step  over  a 
large  lake.  If  he  wished,  he  could  make  himself  as 
short  as  a  man.  He  had  great  power. 

It  is  told  that  a  little  child  once  outwitted  him.  The 
boy  was  playing  outside  his  mother's  lodge  and  dared 
the  inanitou  to  do  as  he  did.  The  manitou  loved  the 
child  and  waited  to  see  what  it  did.  The  boy  lay  down 
and  put  his  toe  into  his  mouth.  Menabozho  tried  to 
do  this  same  thing  and  could  not. 

He  told  the  boy  to  wish  for  anything  and  that  he 
should  have  it.  The  boy  wished  for  long  life.  Mena 
bozho  changed  the  child  into  a  white-cedar  tree,  and 
the  tree  stood  for  hundreds  of  winters  in  the  place 
where  the  child  had  stood  when  he  wished  for  long 
life.  It  was  not  far  from  where  he  lay  by  his  mother's 
wigwam  when  he  dared  the  great  Menabozho  to  a  deed 
the  manitou  could  not  perform. 

It  was  in  this  way  the  wise  manitou  punished  the 
boy.  It  is  not  well  for  any  one  to  be  wiser  than  a 
manitou,  for  even  the  flint  stones  show  that  these 
spirits  are  very  powerful. 


II.     STORY   OF   THE   DELUGE 

(ClIIPI'KWA,    1900) 

jENABOZHO,  the  great  land  manitou, 
did  not  like  the  water  manitous  or 
spirits.  One  day  he  saw  the  chief 
of  the  water  manitous  asleep  on 
a  rock,  and  he  shot  and  killed 
him  with  a  magic  arrow;  then 
the  little  water  manitous  called 
the  big  rivers  to  help  them  and 

chased  Menabozho  up  a  high  hill. 

The  water  reached  halfway  up  the  hill ;  the  water 

manitous  called  all  the  little  rivers  then  to  help  them. 

The  water  chased  Menabozho  to  the  top  of  the  high 

hill.     He  climbed  up  a  tall  pine  tree,  but  the   water 

came  up  to  his  chin  ;  it  could  not  go  over  his  head,  for 

there  is  not  water  enough  in  the  whole  world  to  drown 

the  great  Menabozho. 

He  waited  a  long  time  while  he  stood  on  the  top  of 

the  pine  tree.     The  rivers  would  not  go  back,  and  he 

could  not  see  any  land. 

A  loon  flew  over  his  head  and  then  dived  into  the 

great  water.     Menabozho  said  :  "  Brother  Loon,  come 

227 


228  WIGWAM   STORIES 

to  me.     I  must  make  land  for  us  to  stand  on.     Will 
you  dive  down  and  bring  me  a  little  sand?" 

The  loon  put  down  his  head  and  went  through  the 
deep  water,  but  it  was  too  deep  even  for  the  great  loon- 
bird.  He  came  up  again,  but  he  had  left  his  breath  in 
the  deep  water.  Menabozho  caught  him  as  he  floated 
by  the  pine  tree,  but  he  found  no  sand  in  his  bill  nor 
on  his  feet. 

An  otter  put  his  head  out  of  the  water  close  by 
Menabozho. 

"  Brother  Otter,  dive  down  and  bring  me  up  a  few 
grains  of  sand.  We  must  have  land  to  put  our  feet 
upon." 

The  otter  knew  he  must  do  as  Menabozho  told  him, 
so  he  put  his  head  down  into  the  deep  water.  He 
came  up,  but  he  had  no  life  any  more,  and  Menabozho 
could  not  find  any  sand  in  his  paws. 

A  muskrat  came  swimming  by  just  then.  "  Brother 
Muskrat,  you  are  very  brave.  Will  you  dive  down  to 
the  sand  under  this  deep  water  and  bring  me  a  few 
grains?  I  must  make  land  for  my  brothers,"  said 
Menabozho. 

The  muskrat  was  brave,  for  he  dived  down,  but  he 
came  up  just  like  the  otter.  He  had  no  more  life,  but 
he  had  a  little  sand  in  one  front  paw. 

Menabozho  held  the  sand  in  his  own  hand  and  dried 
it  in  the  sunshine.  He  blew  it  with  his  breath  far  out 


STORY   OF    THE    DELUGE  229 

on  the  water,  and  it  made  a  little  island.  Menabozho 
called  the  sand  back  to  him.  He  dried  it  in  his  hand 
again  and  then  blew  it  to  its  place  on  the  deep  water. 
He  did  this  for  two  days,  and  the  island  grew  larger 
every  time  it  was  sent  back.  Menabozho  left  the  tree 
and  walked  on  the  land. 

He  called  to  his  brothers,  who  are  the  trees,  animals, 
and  everything  on  the  land,  to  come  and  live  on  this 
land.  The  water  had  to  go  back  to  its  place. 


III.     MENABOZHO   CAUGHT 

(CHIPPEWA,  1895) 

'ENABOZHO  killed  a  large 
moose  when  hunting.  He 
put  the  meat  in  boxes 
made  of  birch  bark  and 
hid  the  boxes  by  a  sweet- 
water  tree,  which  the  white 
men  call  a  maple  tree. 

There  was  much  moose 
meat,  and  it  would  last 
many  weeks.  There  was  much  moose  fat,  so  Mena- 
bozho  made  more  birch-bark  boxes  and  hid  the  fat  in 
them  near  an  oak  tree.  He  hung  the  mooseskin  in  the 
branches  of  the  tree. 

Menabozho  sat  on  the  ground  and  ate  much  moose 
meat;  while  he  was  eating  he  beard  a  noise  over  his 
head  and  saw  that  two  trees  were  pulling  each  other. 
A  tall  tree  had  fallen  into  the  top  of  a  small  tree,  and  it 
was  caught.  The  wind  tried  to  pull  the  tall  tree  away, 
but  the  little  tree  held  it  tight,  and  the  branches  made 
a  noise  like  something  alive.  Menabozho  did  not  like 
to  hear  such  a  loud  noise  when  he  was  eating. 

230 


MENABOZHO  CAUGHT  231 

He  climbed  into  the  little  tree  and  tried  to  pull  the 
tall  tree  away.  His  arm  was  caught  between  the  two 
trees,  and  he  was  like  a  bear  in  a  trap.  The  two  trees 
pinched  Menabozho's  arm  very  hard. 

While  he  was  in  the  trap  trying  to  get  loose,  a  wolf 
came  along  under  the  trees;  she  had  two  young  wolves 
with  her. 

"Look  out!"  said  Menabozho ;  "don't  go  near  that 
sweet-water  tree.  There  is  nothing  for  you  in  these 
woods." 

The  old  mother  wolf  knew  Menabozho  and  his  tricks. 
She  found  the  birch-bark  boxes  and  called  to  her  little 
ones. 

"  Come  down  and  eat,  Brother  Menabozho,"  said  the 
old  wolf.  She  knew  she  was  safe,  for  the  trees  held 
him  close. 

The  wolf  and  her  young  ones  played  with  the  empty 
boxes  when  the  meat  was  gone  ;  they  broke  them  all, 
then  ran  toward  the  oak  tree. 

"  Don't  go  there ;  the  tree  may  fall  on  you  !  "  said 
Menabozho. 

"  Come,  children,"  said  the  wolf,  "  use  your  noses  and 
you  will  find  more  food." 

They  found  the  moose  fat  in  the  other  boxes. 
Wolves  can  eat  all  the  time.  These  wolves  ate  up 
the  sweet  moose  fat,  and  Menabozho  fought  with  the 
trees  to  get  out  of  the  trap  they  made  for  him.  He 


232  WIGWAM    STORIES 

tried  to  pull  up  the  tree  he  was  in  by  the  roots,  but 
he  could  not  do  it  with  one  hand. 

When  the  wolves  were  done  eating,  a  great  wind 
came  and  blew  the  trees  apart.  Menabozho  came  down 
the  tree  very  fast,  but  the  wolf  and  her  young  ones 
were  very  strong  from  their  good  dinner.  They  ran 
away  where  no  one  could  find  them. 

Menabozho  liked  to  play  tricks  on  everything.  He 
did  not  like  it  when  they  played  tricks  on  him,  and  now 
he  had  no  meat  nor  fat.  There  was  only  the  moose 
head  left. 

He  put  his  head  into  the  moose  head  to  eat  the  meat. 
He  could  not  get  out,  and  there  he  was  caught  again  in 
a  trap,  and  this  time  he  could  not  see,  but  he  could  use 
his  arms  and  feet. 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  Menabozho.  "  It  is  a  good 
trick.  I  will  get  away." 

He  ran  against  a  tree.  Menabozho  put  his  arm 
around  the  tree  and  said  :  "  What  is  your  name,  Brother 
Tree?" 

"  My  name  is  White  Oak,"  was  the  answer. 

"  White  Oak  does  not  grow  near  water ;  I  must  go 
further,"  said  Menabozho. 

Soon  his  moose  head  struck  another  tree.  "  0  my 
brother,  wiiat  is  your  name  ?  "  asked  Menabozho. 

"  My  name  is  Basswood,"  said  the  tree. 

"  Basswood  grows  near  water,"  said  Menabozho. 


MENABOZHO   CAUGHT  233 

He  ran  along  a  little  further  and  fell  over  the  bank 
into  a  river,  and  he  swam  with  the  strong  current  down 
the  stream.  He  knew  there  were  many  Indians  in  a  tee 
pee  village  near  that  river,  and  they  would  help  him. 

Menabozho  kept  the  moose  head  out  of  the  water 
and  made  a  great  noise.  He  heard  the  Indian  boys 
whoop  and  knew  they  had  seen  him.  The  hunters  got 
their  canoes  and  came  out  to  him  with  their  tomahawks, 
for  they  thought  it  was  a  moose  and  they  would  get 
much  fat  meat. 

The  Indians  broke  the  moose  head  with  their  toma 
hawks  and  found  Menabozho.  He  was  always  good  to 
the  Indians,  and  many  times  he  helped  them  in  their 
hunting. 

"  It  is  a  good  trick,"  they  all  said  ;  then  Menabozho 
laughed,  and  they  were  glad  to  see  him. 

The  chief  made  a  great  feast  in  his  teepee.  Mena 
bozho  told  many  stories,  but  he  did  not  tell  how  the 
wolves,  the  trees,  and  the  moose  head  all  played  tricks 
on  him. 

Ooranah,  Cliippeica  Indian,  near  Ashland,   Wis. 


IV.     HOW    THE    KINGFISHER    GOT   HIS   RING 
AND   HIS   RUFFLE 

(CHIPPEWA,  1895) 

"A  /TENABOZHO  had  a  wolf  who  hunted  for  him. 

"My  brother/'  said  Meiiabozho,   "never  cross 
the  water,  for  the  water  manitous  will  catch  you." 

One  day  the  wolf  was  tired  and  saw  a  narrow  stream 
in  his  way,  so  he  threw  the  goose  he  had  caught  over 
his  back  and  tried  to  leap  across  the  stream.  The 
water  manitou  caught  him,  and  Menabozho  had  no 
supper  and  never  again  saw  his  wolf. 

The  next  day  Menabozho  saw  the  kingfisher  sitting 
on  a  tree  near  the  stream. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Menabozho  the  Sly  One,  "  can 
you  tell  me  where  Menabozho' s  brother  wolf  is  ?  " 

"What  will  you  give  me  if  I  tell  you?"  said  the 
kingfisher. 

"  I  will  put  a  fine  collar  around  your  neck  if  you  will 
tell  me,"  said  Menabozho. 

"  First  put  the  collar  around  my  neck,  then  I  will 
tell  you,"  said  the  bird. 

Menabozho  fastened  around  the  bird's  neck  a  beauti 
ful  white  collar,  which  he  wears  to  this  day ;  then  the 

235 


236  WIGWAM    STORIES 

kingfisher  told  him  how  he  had  seen  the  wolf  caught 
while  leaping  across  the  water  the  day  before,  and  said : 

"  The  great  water  manitou  comes  out  when  the  sun 
is  hottest  to  rest  on  the  shore.  He  will  sleep  on  the 
wolfskin.  The  mud  turtle  will  sit  on  a  stone  and  keep 
watch  for  Menabozho.  The  bear  will  stand  by  this  tree 
and  watch.  I  will  sit  on  this  tree  and  watch,  too.  We 
are  all  friends,  but  maybe  you  are  Menabozho  ?  " 

The  bird  jumped,  but  Menabozho  caught  its  head  in 
his  hands.  The  kingfisher  twisted  his  head  out  of 
Menabozho's  fingers,  gave  a  laugh,  and  flew  away  ;  and 
that  is  the  way  he  got  his  ruffle. 

Ooranah. 


V.     HOW   THE   WOODCHUCK   HELPED 
MENABOZHO 

(CuiPPEWA,   1805) 

.ENABOZHO  watched  for  the  water 
manitou,  and  he  stood  just  like 
a  stump  of  a  tree.  The  bear 
which  was  watching  for  Meiia- 
bozho  did  not  see  him.  The 
mud  turtle  which  was  watching 
did  not  know  that  he  was  the 
stump,  so  they  went  to  sleep  ; 
then  Menabozho  got  back  his  wolfskin  from  under  the 
manitou,  and  the  manitou  did  not  need  it  any  more. 

All  the  other  water  manitous  gave  chase  after  Mena 
bozho  to  avenge  their  brother.  He  called  to  a  wood- 
chuck  to  dig  fast  into  a  hill. 

Menabozho  pulled  into  the  hole  all  the  dirt  that  the 
woodchuck  threw  out.  The  water  manitous  found  no 
hole  in  the  hill,  and  Menabozho  got  away. 

Menabozho  gave  the  woodchuck  long  claws  and  soft 
hair.  He  told  him  that  the  corn  is  good.  He  called 
the  woodchuck  his  brother  because  he  helped  to  hide 
Menabozho  from  the  water  manitous. 

237 


Sioux  INDIANS  AND  TEEPEE 

From  a  Photograph 


VI.     MENABOZHO   SWALLOWED   BY   A 
LARGE   FISH 

(CHIPPEWA,   1895) 

day  Menabozho  went  fishing  with  hook  and 
line  in  Gitchee  Gumee,  the  Big  Sea  Water.  A 
large  fish  came  along  and  swallowed  the  hook  and  line, 
swallowed  Menabozlio  and  his  canoe,  swallowed  every 
thing,  just  like  a  big  sea  cave. 

When  Menabozho  waked  out  of  his  sleep  he  saw  a 
squirrel  sitting  on  the  canoe  beside  him.  The  fish  had 
swallowed  him,  too. 

Menabozho  said :  "  Brother  Squirrel,  where  are 
we?" 

The  squirrel  answered :  "  Menabozho,  we  are  in  a 
great  fish." 

Menabozho  found  his  bow  and  arrows  in  the  canoe 
and  shot  an  arrow  upward.  It  killed  the  great  fish. 
The  body  of  the  fish  began  to  rise  to  the  top  of  the 
water.  Menabozho  prayed  to  the  Great  Manitou  that 
the  wind  might  blow  from  the  south.  The  Great 
Spirit  heard  his  prayer  and  sent  the  south  wind.  It 
blew  the  great  fish  to  the  north  shore  of  Gitchee 
Gumee,  where  Nokomis  lived. 

239 


240  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  great  fish  floated  on  the  water  like  a  little  sun- 
fish;  when  it  touched  the  shore  the  birds  fed  on  its 
flesh,  and  Menabozho  came  out  and  went  to  his  grand 
mother,  Nokomis. 

After  their  greeting  was  over  Menabozho  went  back 
and  found  the  birds  still  feeding  on  the  fish. 

"Go  away,  my  little  brothers,"  he  said. 

Each  bird  took  a  piece  of  the  fish  and  flew  away, 
and  Menabozho  then  cut  up  the  great  creature  and 
made  much  fish  oil ;  he  had  a  great  plan  in  his  mind 
and  was  glad  to  have  this  oil. 

A  Avicked  manitou  lived  on  an  island  in  Gitchee 
Gumee.  This  island  had  miles  of  blackest  pitch  on 
all  of  its  shores ;  not  even  a  water  manitou  could 
swim  through  this  pitch.  Menabozho  carried  the  fish 
oil  over  and  poured  it  on  the  pitch ;  wherever  the  oil 
touched  the  pitch  it  was  never  sticky  again. 

Menabozho  found  the  wigwam  of  the  wicked  mani 
tou.  All  day  long  he  shot  arrows  at  this  wigwam. 
The  manitou  came  out  and  laughed  at  him. 

A  woodpecker  called  out,  "  Hit  him  in  the  back, 
Menabozho! " 

The  manitou  just  then  turned  to  run,  and  Menabozho 
hit  him  and  he  fell.  The  woodpecker  flew  down  by 
Menabozho.  His  white  feathers  were  stained  by  the 
pitch,  but  Menabozho  painted  his  head  with  war  paint. 
He  is  one  of  Menabozho's  brothers. 


VII.  THE  THUNDER-BIRD  OF  THE  DAKOTAS 

(Sioux,  ISO.")) 

|HAT  is  thunder?."  a  white 
man  asked  a  Sioux  or  Dakota 
Indian. 

"Thunder  is  a  big  bird  fly 
ing  in  the  air.  It  makes 
tracks  like  fire.  You  can  hear 
it  clap  its  wings.  It  is  the 
young  thunder-birds  that  hurt 
the  Sioux.  The  old  birds  will 
not  touch  us.  They  are  our  friends." 

"  Did  you  ever  see  a  t bunder-bird  ?  "  was  a§ked  by 
the  white  man. 

"  I  never  did,  but  my  father's  brother,  Little  Crow, 
saw  one  fall  dead  out  of  the  sky.  It  had  wings  wide 
as  a  white  man's  house,  and  it  had  lightning  on  its 
wings.  It  had  a  face  like  a  man  ;  its  nose  was  like 
an  eagle's  bill." 

"  Who  else  ever  saw  one  ? "  was  the  next  question. 
"  One  fall  our  tribe  was  out  hunting,  and  a  thunder- 
bird  flew  down  on  the  ground  just  a  little  way  from 
them.     It  did  not  hurt  them ;  they  saw  that  it  had  on 

241 


242  WIGWAM    STOKIES 

snowshoes.  They  found  the  track  of  the  shoes  when 
it  flew  away.  Our  tribe  had  good  hunting  that  winter. 
They  killed  many  bears." 

"  We  have  only  one  God ;  why  do  you  have  so 
many  ?  "  was  next  asked. 

"The  Great  Spirit  is  the  god  of  the  Dakotas,"  said 
the  Indian.  "  He  made  everything  but  wild  rice  and 
thunder.  We  must  do  as  our  fathers  have  done  or  the 
spirits  of  the  dead  will  punish  us.  It  is  not  good  to 
change.  We  believe  what  they  told  us  when  we  were 
children.  We  worship  the  Great  Spirit." 

"Who  rules  the  water?"  asked  the  white  man. 

"  Unktahe,  the  spirit  of  the  water." 

'•  What  do  you  call  the  thunder  ?  " 

"  Wahkeon.  He  and  Unktahe  are  always  fighting. 
It  is  a  great  battle ;  when  there  is  a  storm  Unktahe 
sends  the  thunder-birds  back  to  the  sky,  sometimes." 

"  Tell  me  more  about  the  thunder-birds,"  said  the 
white  man. 

"  Wahkeontonka  is  the  father  of  all  the  birds.  He 
is  Big  Thunder.  He  lives  on  a  great  mountain  in  the 
west.  His  wigwam  has  four  doors.  A  caribou  stands 
at  the  north  door.  He  is  swift  like  the  north  wind. 
At  the  south  door  is  a  red  deer ;  he  is  very  beautiful. 
His  eyes  are  like  the  little  lakes  in  summer. 

"  A  butterfly  watches  at  the  east  door  of  the  wig 
wam.  He  is  like  the  morning  light.  A  bear  watches 


THE   THUNDER-BIRD   OF   THE   DAKOTAS     243 

the  west  door,  and  when  the  wind  blows  from  the  west 
even  the  white  people  can  hear  the  bear  growling. 
This  is  true." 

"  What  has  Wahkeon  tonka  done  for  the  Indian  ?  " 

"  The  thunder  spirit  gave  the  Indians  thunder  and 
wild  rice.  They  eat  rice  and  are  strong.  He  showed 
them  how  to  use  the  bow  and  arrow. 

"  He  dug  iron  from  the  ground  and  made  toma 
hawks.  He  made  spears.  The  Indians  know  Wah- 
keontonka  is  wise." 

The  Dakotas  believe  that  their  god  of  storm  lives 
on  Thunder  Cap,  a  high  promontory  in  Minnesota  over 
looking  Lake  Superior ;  from  here  he  sends  the  rain, 
hail,  or  snow. 

Thunder  Bay  lies  at  his  feet ;  on  its  shore  lies  the 
great  giant  turned  to  stone,  who,  ages  ago,  dared  to 
defy  Big  Thunder.  Wahkeontonka  is  the  Dakotas' 
Jupiter. 


VIII.     HIAWATHA   THE   WISE 


HOW    HE    UNITED    THE    FlVE    CATIONS 


IT\  j  y^?  manJ  moons  ago  three  Indians 
X  ;l^///  ^  sat  on  the  bank  of  the  great  river 
with  many  islands.  These  three 
Indians  had  come  on  a  long  trail 
from  their  country,  and  it  was  a 
new  trail,  for  they  had  made  it 
themselves.  Nobody  had  been  on 
it  before  they  cut  their  way  through 
the  thick  forest. 

The  fathers  of  these  Indians  had 
been  told  of  this  river  in  the  north 
which  was  filled  with  islands.  The  three  Indians  had 
said  to  their  fathers  that  they  would  seek  it  ;  now  they 
sat  on  a  little  hill,  and  it  was  before  them. 

The  night  sun  had  changed  into  a  shape  like  a  canoe 
three  times  since  they  had  started  on  the  long  trail. 
Their  moccasins  were  torn,  and  their  feet  were  very 
tired  ;  but  the  river  was  very  beautiful,  and  it  made 
their  eyes  glad  to  see  it. 

While  the  three  Indians  sat  watching  the  river,  they 
saw  a  white  canoe  coming  straight  toward  the  little  hill 


244 


HIAWATHA    THE    WISE  945 

where  they  sat.     It  seemed  to  come  from  the  place  of 
the  setting  sun. 

The  three  Indians  saw  a  white-haired  chief  alone  in 
the  canoe,  and  he  had  no  paddle.  The  canoe  came  very 
fast,  but  it  needed,  no  help.  The  white-haired  chief 
told  the  canoe  to  stop  by  the  little  hill  on  the  shore 
where  sat  the  three  Indians  ;  it  came  there  and  stopped. 

The  three  Indians  knew  by  the  strange  canoe  that 
the  Great  Spirit  had  sent  him,  and  they  were  afraid. 

The  white-haired  chief  said  :  "  I  am  Hiawatha.  I  will 
help  you  and  your  people.  Tell  me  what  your  nation 
can  do.  Tell  me  of  your  hunting." 

The  three  arose  and  told  Hiawatha  of  their  nation. 
They  had  thought  their  people  very  strong ;  now  they 
seemed  like  wild  rabbits  for  weakness.  They  told  him 
of  their  hunting,  but  they  were  not  proud,  for  Hia 
watha  was  wiser  than  any  chief,  and  lie  knew  what  was 
in  their  hearts. 

Hiawatha  said :  "  Go  back  to  your  people.  I  shall 
come,  and  you  will  see  me  when  you  have  made  my 
lodge  ready.  I  knew  you  were  coming,  for  I  saw  you 
in  the  dark  forests.  I  saw  you  on  the  great  rocks  in 
the  forests.  Go  back  and  tell  your  people  I  am  com 
ing.  Tell  them  to  make  a  wigwam  for  Hiawatha." 

The  three  Indians  could  not  talk  to  each  other. 
Their  hearts  were  full.  They  found  the  trail  they  had 
made  and  followed  it  back  to  their  own  land  ;  there 


246  WIGWAM    STORIES 

they  told  their  chiefs  of  the  wise  one  in  the  white 
canoe.  The  chiefs  made  ready  for  his  coming. 

"  He  will  come  in  a  white  stone  canoe,"  said  the  chiefs. 

The  wigwam  was  built  by  a  lake,  and  it  was  made 
of  the  finest  skins  of  the  deer.  It  was  a  white  wig 
wam,  with  the  door  left  open.  No  one  watched  to  see 
who  should  shut  the  door. 

One  morning  the  door  was  shut,  and  a  strange  white 
canoe  was  in  the  water.  The  people  came  out  of  their 
lodges,  and  soon  the  doorway  of  skins  in  the  white  wig 
wam  was  opened.  Hiawatha  had  come  to  the  Onon- 
daga  nation.  His  wigwam  was  on  the  shore  of  Tiota 
or  Cross  Lake,  in  the  land  of  the  Onondagas. 

Heyanwatha  means  the  Wise  Man.  Hiawatha  the 
people  call  him  now.  He  taught  the  Onondagas  many 
things,  for  he  had  lived  with  the  Great  Spirit.  He  was 
sent  to  help  the  Indian  tribes. 

Hiawatha  taught  the  people  how  to  plant  corn  and 
beans.  They  learned  much  about  planting,  and  they 
learned  how  to  store  food  for  winter  time. 

While  he  was  with  the  Onondagas  the  runners 
brought  word  that  a  great  band  of  warriors  was  com 
ing  to  fight  them.  The  young  braves  put  on  their 
war  paint. 

"Call  a  great  council  of  all  the  tribes,"  said  the  wise 
Hiawatha.  "  Let  them  meet  on  the  hill  by  the  lake." 
It  was  Onondaga  Lake. 


HIAWATHA   THE   WISE  247 

Swift  runners  carried  word  to  four  tribes.  Their 
chiefs  and  great  braves  met  on  the  hill  by  the  lake, 
and  their  wives  waited  with  them.  All  the  people 
waited  for  three  days,  but  Hiawatha  did  not  come  to 
the  council.  The  chiefs  sent  men  to  Hiawatha  on  the 
morning  of  the  fourth  day  to  ask  why  he  made  them 
wait. 

Hiawatha  answered :  "  The  Holder  of  the  Heavens 
has  shown  me  that  if  I  go  to  this  council  great  sorrow 
will  come  to  me.  I  was  sent  to  teach  you  peace.  I 
shall  show  you  how  to  make  war.  I  will  come." 

Then  Hiawatha  stepped  into  his  white  stone  canoe, 
and  it  went  to  the  place  of  the  great  council,  where  the 
chiefs  waited. 

All  the  great  chiefs  and  the  people  shouted  when 
Hiawatha  came.  He  stood  still  in  the  council  circle. 
His  daughter  stood  beside  him,  but  no  one  had  seen  her 
before.  When  her  father  looked  at  her  she  went  to 
her  place  among  the  women. 

The  first  day  of  the  council  the  chiefs  told  their 
plans,  and  Hiawatha  listened.  The  second  day  he 
arose  in  the  council,  and  the  people  listened.  Hiawatha 
said  wise  words.  All  the  chiefs  remembered  the  words 
of  Hiawatha.  He  made  this  speech  : 

"  My  brothers  :  You  are  from  many  tribes.  You 
have  come  here  for  one  cause.  It  is  to  live  in  safety. 
We  must  join  ourselves  together.  The  tribes  that  are 


248  WIGWAM   STORIES 

on  the  warpath  are  strong.  Not  one  tribe  here  is 
equal  to  that  great  people.  Make  yourselves  a  band 
of  brothers.  Then  you  will  be  stronger  than  they. 

"  The  Mohawks  that  sit  in  council  by  that  great  tree 
shall  be  the  first  nation.  They  are  the  warlike  people. 

"  The  Oneidas  who  sit  by  the  great  stone  that  cannot 
be  moved  shall  be  the  second  nation.  They  are  a  wise 
people. 

"  The  Onondagas  that  live  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
hills  shall  be  the  third  nation.  They  are  great  in 
speech  making. 

"  The  Senecas  who  live  in  the  forest,  and  whose  trails 
are  found  all  over  the  land,  shall  be  the  fourth  nation, 
for  they  have  much  wisdom  in  hunting. 

"  The  Cayugas  live  in  the  open  country.  Their  wig 
wams  are  the  finest,  and  their  beans  and  corn  grow  like 
the  grass  on  the  plains.  Their  name  is  known  for 
great  wisdom  ;  they  shall  be  the  fifth  nation." 

Hiawatha  sat  down  in  the  council,  and  the  third  day 
the  chiefs  talked  with  one  another ;  then  they  all  said  : 
"  We  will  do  this  thing.  We  will  be  one  nation.  We 
will  be  called  the  Five  Nations." 

The  council  was  ended.  Hiawatha  went  to  his  canoe 
and  called  softly  to  his  daughter. 

As  she  left  the  women  a  great  cloud  came  in  the 
sky.  It  was  a  thunder-bird.  The  great  cloud  took  the 
daughter  of  Hiawatha,  and  she  was  gone. 


250  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  white  stone  canoe  came  to  the  landing  place. 
There  was  music  in  the  air  like  the  wind  blowing 
through  the  pine  trees.  All  the  sky  was  filled  with 
the  sweet  music. 

The  people  mourned  for  Hiawatha,  for  he  was  gone. 
His  wigwam  by  the  lake  Tiota  was  empty,  and  he  was 
never  seen  again. 

The  Five  Nations  say  that  he  went  to  the  Islands  of 
the  Happy  Ones.  Owayneo,  the  Great  Spirit,  called 
him.  His  daughter  had  gone  before  him. 

The  Five  Nations  were  strong.  They  were  a  wise 
people.  Many  moons  after  the  white  men  came  the 
Tuscaroras  sat  with  them  around  the  council-fire. 
Then  they  were  known  as  the  Six  Nations.  The  white 
people  have  often  called  them  the  Mingos. 

Arranged  from  Schoolcraft  and  Horatio  Hale. 


IX.     WAMPUM   OR  INDIAN   MONEY 


IAWATHA  was  on  his  way  to 
the  country  of  the  Mohawks. 
He  went  from  one  nation  to 
another  to  teach  them  the 
things  they  needed  to  know. 
While  on  his  journey  he  came 
to  the  borders  of  a  lake.  It 
was  too  deep  to  wade  across, 
and  he  stood  still  thinking 
whether  he  should  call  his 
magic  white  canoe  to  help 

him  or  go  back.     He   had   come  on  a  long  trail  and 

was  very  tired. 

While  he  was  wondering  which  way  was  best,  the 

sky  was  filled  with  wild  ducks.     These  birds  flew  down 

upon  the  lake  and  began  to  drink  and  to  swim.     In  a 

few  minutes  they  flew  up  into  the  air  again,  in  one 

great  black  flock. 

Behold  !  the  lake  was  dry,  and  its  bed  was  a  mass 

of  shells. 

Hiawatha  knew  that  the  lake  had  been  made  dry 

ground  for  his  sake.     He  gathered  some  of  the  shells 


252  WIGWAM    STORIES 

and,  striking  them  with  sharp  flints,  strung  the  pieces 
on  strings  of  sinew.  This  was  the  first  wampum. 

He  carried  the  strings  of  wampum  to  the  Mohawks, 
and  they  believe  their  tribe  to  have  been  the  first  to 
use  it. 

They  showed  the  other  tribes  how  to  make  the 
long  strings  of  bead  money,  and  many  bands  went  on 
strange  trails  to  find  the  rivers  or  the  lakes  where  the 
shells  were  hidden  under  the  water. 

Mounds  like  small  hills  have  been  found  by  the 
white  men  near  lakes  and  streams.  When  these 
mounds  were  uncovered,  it  was  known  that  they  were 
only  heaps  of  broken  shells.  The  flint  stones  were  not 
good  tools,  and  the  Indians  would  use  only  perfect 
beads. 


X.  LEGEND  OF  THE  ARBUTUS 


(CHIPPEWA,  1894) 

N  old  teepee  stood  by  a  frozen  river 
in  the  forest  where  there  are  many 
pine  trees.  The  tops  of  the  trees 
were  white  witli  snow.  The  teepee 
was  almost  covered  with  the  snow. 
An  old  chief  sat  in  this  teepee ;  his 
hair  was  like  the  icicles  that  hang 
from  dead  pine-tree  branches ;  lie  was 
very  old. 

He  was  covered  with  furs.  The  floor  of  his  teepee 
was  covered  with  the  skins  of  the  bear  and  the  elk. 
He  had  been  a  great  hunter.  His  name  was  Peboan. 
Peboan  was  faint  with  hunger,  and  he  was  cold.  He 
had  been  hunting  for  three  days.  He  had  killed  noth 
ing.  All  the  moose,  deer,  and  bear  had  gone.  They 
had  left  no  trail.  Wabasso,  the  rabbit,  had  hidden  in 
the  bushes.  There  was  no  food,  no  meat  for  Peboan. 
He  called  upon  the  great  Menabozho  for  help. 
"  Come,  Menabozho,  come  help  Peboan,  the  chief  of 
the  winter  manitons.  Come,  for  Mukwa  the  bear  has 
gone  from  me.  Come,  or  Peboan  must  go  to  the  far 

253 


254  WIGWAM   STORIES 

north  to  find  Mahto  the  white  bear.  Peboan  is  old, 
and  his  feet  are  weary." 

Peboan  crawled  on  his  knees  over  the  furs  to  the 
little  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  teepee.  He  blew  on  the 
coals  with  his  faint  breath,  and  the  coals  grew  very  red. 
His  breath  was  like  a  wind ;  the  coals  made  the  wind 
warm  like  a  sonth  wind.  The  deerskins  that  covered 
the  teepee  trembled  like  leaves,  for  the  warm  wind 
blew  them. 

Peboan  sat  on  the  fnrs  on  the  floor  of  his  teepee  and 
waited.  He  knew  Menabozho  would  hear  him. 

Peboan  heard  no  sound,  but  he  looked  toward  the 
door  of  his  teepee.  It  was  lifted  back,  and  he  saw  a 
beautiful  Indian  maiden. 

She  carried  a  great  bundle  of  willow  buds  in  her 
arms.  Her  dress  was  of  sweet  grass  and  early  maple 
leaves.  Her  eyes  were  like  a  young  deer.  Her  hair 
was  like  the  blackest  feathers  of  a  crow,  and  it  was 
so  long  that  it  was  like  a  blanket  over  her  shoulders. 
She  was  small;  her  feet  were  hidden  in  two  moccasin 
flowers. 

"  Menabozho  heard  Peboan,  the  winter  manitou.  He 
has  sent  me.  I  am  Segun." 

"  You  are  welcome,  Segun.  Sit  by  my  fire  ;  it  is 
warm.  I  have  no  meat.  Sit  down  and  tell  me  what 
you  can  do." 

"  Peboan  may  tell  first  what  he  can  do,"  said  Segun. 


LEGEXD    OF   THE   ARBUTUS  255 

Peboan  said  :  "  I  am  a  winter  manitou  ;  I  blow  my 
breath,  and  the  flowers  die.  The  waters  stand  still ; 
the  leaves  fall  and  die." 

Segun  said :  "  I  am  a  summer  manitou ;  I  blow  my 
breath,  and  the  flowers  open  their  eyes.  The  waters 
follow  me  on  my  trail." 

Peboan  said :  "I  shake  my  hair,  and  the  snow  falls 
on  the  mountains,  like  the  feathers  of  Waubese,  the 
great  white  swan." 

Segun  said  :  "  I  shake  my  hair,  and  warm  rain  falls 
from  the  clouds.  I  call,  and  the  birds  answer  me.  The 
trees  put  on  their  leaves,  and  the  grass  growrs  thick  like 
the  fur  of  the  bear.  The  summer  sky  is  my  teepee. 
Menabozho  has  said  that  the  time  has  come  for  you 
to  go." 

Peboan' s  head  bent  over  on  his  shoulder.  The  sun 
melted  the  snow  on  the  pine  trees ;  it  melted  the  snow 
on  the  teepee.  Segun  waved  her  hands  over  Peboan, 
and  a  strange  thing  happened. 

Peboan  grew  smaller  and  smaller.  His  deerskin 
clothes  turned  to  leaves  and  covered  Peboan  on  the 
ground. 

Segun  looked,  but  Peboan  was  gone.  She  took  some 
flowers  from  her  hair  and  hid  them  under  the  leaves 
on  the  ground.  There  was  ice  on  the  leaves,  but  it 
did  not  hurt  the  pink  flowers.  Segun  breathed  on  the 
flowers,  and  they  became  sweet. 


256  WIGWAM    STORIES 

She  said :  "  I  go,  but  the  flowers  shall  stay  to  tell  of 
Segun's  visit  to  Peboan.  The  children  shall  find  them 
and  know  that  Segun  has  sent  Peboan  away.  It  shall 
be  so  each  time  the  snows  melt  and  the  rivers  begin  to 
run.  This  flower  shall  tell  that  spring  has  come." 

Peboan's  teepee  was  sweet  with  the  breath  of  the 
flowers,  but  Segun  was  gone. 


XT.     THE   ONE   WHO   LOVED   HIM   MOST 

|HE  Great  Spirit  whispered  to  the 
heart  of  a  warrior  that  he  must 
go  and  seek  the  Happy  Hunting 
Grounds.    His  squaw  shed  many 
tears  when  he  told   her.      His 
children  wailed  loudly,  for  they 
knew    no    one    ever    returned 
from  that  journey. 
"  We   will  follow   you  on  the  long  trail,"  said  his 
squaw. 

The  warrior  hid  his  arrows  and  his  bow,  put  on 
the  new  moccasins  that  lay  by  his  wigwam  door,  and 
started.  Behind  him  followed  in  the  same  trail  his 
squaw,  his  sons,  and  his  dog.  He  sang  the  death  chant, 
and  their  voices  echoed  the  chant.  The  dog  knew  its 
meaning  and  howled  for  sorrow. 

After  a  time  the  younger  boy  grew  weary  and  hid 
himself.  They  did  not  miss  the  child,  and  he  ran  back 
to  the  wigwam,  lay  down,  and  fell  asleep. 

Soon  the  older  son  missed  his  brother.     He  said  : 
"  I  will  go  back  and  find  Keweenaw.     He  is  small ; 
I  will  care  for  him." 

257 


258  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  father  and  mother  were  not  alone.  The  dog 
walked  softly  behind  them.  The  warrior  did  not  look 
back,  but  his  squaw  called  to  him  :  "  I  am  here.  I  am 
strong.  I  will  follow  you  to  the  gate  of  the  Happy 
Hunting  Grounds." 

Then  the  trail  became  rough  and  steep.  The  wild 
cactus  tore  their  moccasins.  The  thorn  tree  caught 
their  blankets  and  tore  their  flesh. 

The  wife  was  weary  and  cried :  "  Let  us  rest.  Let 
us  wait."  She  fell  on  her  face  in  the  trail. 

When  she  arose  no  one  was  before  her.  She  said  :  "  I 
will  go  and  find  our  children ;  then  I  will  come  back  to 
the  trail  and  find  my  husband." 

The  warrior  was  now  alone.  No,  not  alone,  for  his 
dog,  footsore  and  heated  with  the  long  journey,  kept 
at  his  heels.  His  master  had  not  known  that  he  had 
followed.  Now  in  the  dark  night  his  dog  pressed  his 
head  against  him  to  comfort  him. 

The  trail  led  westward,  but  the  morning  sun  cast  no 
long  shadows  of  the  wife  and  children.  They  had  not 
taken  up  the  trail  again. 

And  still  forever  toward  the  west  went  the  two,  the 
Indian  and  his  dog.  Moons  and  suns  rose  and  set.  At 
last,  across  the  wide  plains,  he  saw  two  great  rocks, 
like  tall  trees.  These  marked  the  gateway  of  the 
Happy  Hunting  Grounds.  Tired,  sick,  and  nearly 
fainting  with  weariness,  the  Indian  kept  on  his  way. 


THE    ONE    WHO    LOVED    HIM    MOST  259 

Tired,  hungry,  and  very  weak,  behind  him  came  the 
faithful  dog. 

At  the  gateway  the  Indian  raised  his  voice  and 
cried  :  "  I  am  here.  The  Great  Spirit  called  me ;  I 
have  come." 

The  watchman  opened  the  gate  and,  taking  the 
brave  by  the  hand,  led  him  past  the  two  great  rocks 
that  held  the  wonderful  gate. 

"  Where  are  those  who  were  with  you  at  the  first?" 
asked  the  watchman. 

"  The  way  was  long.  Their  feet  were  weary,"  was 
the  answer. 

"  Who  is  this  that  stands  watching  you,  with  eyes 
that  show  the  tears  they  cannot  shed  ?" 

"He  who  loved  me  best,"  said  the  Indian. 

The  watchman  put  his  hand  on  the  head  of  the 
hound.  The  dog  gave  a  joyful  leap,  and  the  gates  of 
the  Happy  Hunting  Grounds  shut  both  the  Indian  and 
his  dog  into  the  Land  of  Rest,  from  which  there  is  no 
return. 


XII.    THE  MARTEN  AND  THE  WHITE  RABBIT 

(MlCMAC) 

A  WHITE  rabbit  ran  away  from  town.  He  was 
^-  afraid  of  the  dogs,  and  the  children  pulled  his 
ears.  He  found  it  was  better  to  live  among  the  animals 
in  the  woods,  but  he  did  not  like  to  say  so  to  them.  He 
was  always  telling  of  the  fine  things  he  had  left. 

The  wild  rabbit  is  gray.  The  white  rabbit  said  no 
one  wore  gray  in  town.  The  best  people  had  white 
clothes  and  very  fine  ;  that  was  why  his  fur  was  so 
soft  and  like  the  snow. 

"  Ours  was  the  best  family  in  town/'  the  white  rabbit 
would  say  very  often. 

The  marten  is  small  and  brown.  His  fur  is  worn 
by  the  best  people,  and  he  knows  they  think  much  of 
him.  He  could  not  understand  why  the  white  rabbit 
should  think  himself  any  better  than  a  marten. 

He  met  the  white  rabbit  in  the  woods  one  day.  They 
had  a  long  talk,  and  the  rabbit  invited  him  to  come  to 
his  heap  of  little  dry  bushes  and  eat  dinner  with  him. 
He  would  answer  any  questions  the  marten  would  ask, 
because  those  who  come  out  of  a  town  always  know  a 
great  deal.  It  is  kind  to  tell  what  you  know. 

260 


262  WIGWAM   STORIES 

The  marten  was  seen  by  the  gray  rabbits  to  brush 
his  fur  and  wash  his  face  and  paws  very  carefully. 
They  watched  him  go  into  the  white  rabbit's  brush 
heap.  The  gray  rabbits  put  their  ears  very  far  back 
and  ran  away.  "  The  marten  is  wise,  but  he  will  know 
more  when  he  comes  home,"  said  the  ones  in  gray. 

The  marten  ate  with  the  white  rabbit.  He  thought 
they  ate  too  fast,  but  it  was  not  polite  to  say  so.  He 
tried  to  eat  like  the  rabbit  and  watched  his  mouth. 
After  a  time  the  marten  began  his  questions. 

"  What  makes  the  slit  in  your  lip  ? "  asked  the 
visitor. 

"  My  family  in  town  all  ate  with  knives  and  forks. 
My  knife  slipped  and  cut  my  lip,"  was  the  answer. 

"What  makes  you  keep  moving  your  mouth  and 
whiskers  ?" 

"  Because  I  am  always  planning  and  worrying.  My 
family  always  worried.  We  do  not  think  enough  about 
what  might  happen  out  here  in  the  country.  Perhaps 
a  great  fire  might  come  and  burn  up  all  these  trees ; 
perhaps  the  river  may  come  and  drown  us.  The  birds 
make  us  forget  these  things.  We  are  too  happy." 

The  marten  shook  his  head,  but  he  said  some  grass 
had  touched  his  nose.  He  did  not  want  the  rabbit  to 
think  him  different  from  town  people. 

The  two  went  out  to  walk  under  the  trees. 

"  What  makes  you  hop  ?  "  asked  the  marten. 


THE  MAKTEN  AND  THE  WHITE  BABBIT      263 

"  My  family  always  hop.  People  in  town  never  step 
along  like  country  people.  See  how  well  I  look  and 
how  clumsy  that  moose  cow  is  over  there." 

Just  then  they  heard  a  soft  step  on  the  brown  pine 
needles;  the  marten  flattened  himself  down  on  the 
ground,  and  his  brown  fur  could  not  be  seen.  The 
white  rabbit  ran  away  with  great  jumps.  He  hid  in 
the  bushes. 

The  two  animals  met  again  that  day.  "Why  did 
you  run  so  fast?"  asked  the  marten. 

"  I  used  to  run  races  when  I  was  in  town.  The  boys 
and  the  dogs  all  played  with  me.  Every  one  goes  fast 
when  in  town.  I  forgot  how  slow  the  country  people 
are." 

The  marten  walked  and  ran  by  the  rabbit's  side. 

'  Why  is  it  that  your  tail  is  so  short  and  your  ears 
are  so  long  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Every  one  in  town  wears  something  on  his  head.  I 
wanted  to  be  like  the  rest,  and  now  I  have  long  ears ; 
but  I  have  only  a  little  ball  of  fur  for  a  tail.  It  is  all 
that  was  left  when  my  ears  were  clone." 

The  marten  ran  to  the  tallest  pine  tree.  He  climbed 
up  where  he  could  see  the  white  rabbit  and  then  he 
screamed,  "I  do  not  believe  one  word!" 

The  little  gray  rabbits  heard  him  and  laughed  with 
the  squirrels. 

Educated  Maine  Indian's  Story. 


XIII.     HOW  LIGHT,  FIRE,  AND  WATER  FIRST 
CAME   TO    THE   WORLD 

(1894) 


LONG  time  ago  the  only  place 
where  light  could  be  seen  was 
in  the  teepee  of  one  old  chief. 

This  chief  had  light,  fire,  and 
water.     All  the  other  Indians 
in    the    whole    world    suffered 
from    cold    and    darkness    and 
had  no  water. 
All  the  Indians  came  to  this  old  chief's  teepee  and 
begged  for  a  little  light.     He  would  not  give  them  any. 
The  Indians  went  away  and  told  the  A\7ild  animals,  and 
asked  their  help. 

The  animals  and  the  Indians  held  a  great  dance 
around  the  old  chief's  teepee.  ^  They  chanted  songs 
and  all  begged  for  light.  Each  one  sang  his  own  song. 
One  young  fox  kept  singing,  "  Khaih  !  Khaih  !  " 
which  means  "  light."  He  believed  it  would  bring  light, 
and  the  men  and  the  animals  were  helped,  he  was  so 
strong.  Their  voices  made  a  great  noise. 

At  last  a  faint  color  was  seen  in  the  east.     The  old 
chief  came  out  and  drove  the  little  light  away. 

264 


LIGHT,    FIRE,    AND    WATER  265 

Then  the  young  fox  called,  "  Khaih  !  Khaih  !  "  louder 
than  before.  The  men  and  the  animals  began  again. 
They  called  and  called  for  the  light  to  come. 

At  last  a  little  color  was  seen  in  the  east  again. 
The  old  chief  had  not  slept.  He  was  tired  and  he 
said  :  "  You  may  have  all  the  light  you  want." 

Now  the  light  comes  every  morning.  Some  of  the 
animals  still  call  for  it  to  come  before  it  is  day. 

A  young  caribou  said  that  he  would  get  the  fire  from 
the  old  chief's  teepee.  The  Indians  tied  a  great  dry 
branch  to  his  big  antlers.  The  young  caribou  put  his 
head  into  the  fire  teepee  and  tried  to  reach  the  coals, 
but  he  could  not  do  it.  The  wise  chief  drove  him  away. 

But  when  the  old  chief  was  driving  back  the  young 
caribou,  a  muskrat  crept  into  the  teepee.  He  reached 
the  precious  coals  of  fire  and  caught  one  in  his  mouth. 
He  ran  back  into  the  woods  with  it.  Before  he  could 
reach  his  own  burrow  he  had  to  drop  the  burning  coal. 
It  fell  on  the  dry  leaves  and  set  the  woods  on  fire. 
You  can  see  now  where  the  muskrat  burned  himself. 

All  the  world  had  fire  now,  and  there  has  always 
been  enough  since  the  muskrat  dropped  the  first  coal. 

The  fire  melted  the  ice  in  the  rivers  and  lakes.  The 
light  showed  every  one  where  to  find  water. 

The  old  chief  has  never  been  seen  since  that  time. 

Hudson  Bay  Indian's  Story. 


XIV.     HOW  THE  COPPER  MOUNTAIN  CAME 
TO   FALL 

(PORTAGE    INDIAXS,    1894) 

HERE  is  a  noble  priest  who  has 
long  been  a  missionary  among 
the  Portage  Indians,  near  the  Lake 
of  the  Woods.     He  has  won  their 
respect,  given  them  a  written  lan 
guage,  and  taught  them    many  of 
the  white  man's  secrets  ;  in  return 
they  have  told  him  many  of  their 
stories   and    their  secrets.     They  have  told   him  why 
they  no  longer  own  copper  mines,  but  must  get  copper 
from  the  Kaidahs,  a  stronger  tribe. 
This  is  the  story : 

Many  moons  ago  the  Indians  living  about  Hudson 
Bay  all  went  to  a  certain  place  in  the  west  for  their 
copper. 

A  great  mountain  of  copper  stood  there,  and  it  was 
in  the  middle  of  the  water.  The  Portage  Indians  tell 
that  each  tribe  wanted  the  mountain ;  at  last,  when 
many  tribes  were  working  together  to  get  out  the 

266 


COPPEK   MOUNTAIN  267 

copper,  it  was  agreed  to  let  one  tribe  own  it ;  but 
which  tribe  ?  No  one  could  tell. 

It  was  left  for  the  copper  mountain  itself  to  decide 
who  should  be  its  master.  All  the  tribes  began  to  shout 
for  it  to  come  to  them.  The  mountain  did  not  move 
for  a  long  time. 

At  last  it  trembled ;  then  the  Kaidah  Indians,  who 
have  big  heads  and  loud  voices,  shouted  louder  than 
any  other  tribe.  The  top  of  the  mountain  fell  toward 
the  Kaidahs. 

"  And  that  is  why  we  go  and  trade  with  them  for 
the  copper  with  which  to  make  the  rings  we  give  our 
women  and  children,"  say  the  Portage  or  Carrier 
Indians  of  Manitoba. 


XY.     THE   SUN   AND   THE   MOON 


(DAKOTA,   1894) 

•HE  Day  Sun   has  a  twin  brother 
that  is  white.     He  is  not  a  strong 
warrior  like  the  Day  Sun,  who  is  as 
red  as  war  paint.     The  Day  Sun  can 
make  an  Indian  fall  down  in  the  hot 
days  of  summer.     The  Indian  is  made 
weak    by    the    arrows    the    Day  Sun 
makes     in     the     summer     morning. 
Sometimes    he    lets    you    see    these 
arrows.     They  are  very  long.     They 
are   around   his  head   like   the  war  bonnet   of  a   very 
great  chief. 

The  Night  Sun  is  cold  and  cannot  hurt  even  an  owl. 
He  has  to  do  all  the  things  his  twin  brother  tells  him 
to  do.  He  is  not  strong,  and  he  breaks  to  pieces  trying 
to  do  so  much.  He  hides  his  face  and  tries  to  go  away, 
but  he  always  comes  back  and  is  glad  to  start  again. 

The  strong  Day  Sun  comes  every  morning  from  the 
wigwam  of  Hannanna  the  Morning  Light.  This  wig 
wam  is  made  of  the  smoke  of  burning  rivers.  You 
can  see  this  smoke  go  up  from  the  water  if  you  will  sit 
still  and  watch.  The  Day  Sun  can  burn  up  a  little 

208 


THE    SUN   AND   THE   MOON  269 

river.  He  paints  the  smoke  of  the  rivers  with  rain 
bows  that  have  come  and  gone.  They  are  saved  to 
make  the  Place  of  the  Morning  Light  so  beautiful  that 
men  will  watch  for  the  coming  of  the  Day  Sun. 

All  the  animals  and  the  birds  call  to  Hannanna  in 
the  morning  to  open  the  door  of  his  wigwam  and  let 
the  red  light  come.  There  is  no  war  paint  on  the  land 
that  is  as  red  as  the  Day  Sun.  When  Hannanna  has  his 
wigwam  by  the  water  you  can  see  more  than  when  it  is 
over  the  land.  The  Day  Sun  is  happy  by  the  water. 

When  the  red  warrior  of  the  sky  goes  out  of  sight  in 
the  west  he  rides  in  a  canoe  behind  the  trees  and  hills 
to  his  place  in  the  east.  On  his  way  he  talks  to  the 
Night  Sun.  You  cannot  see  the  canoe  of  the  Day  Sun. 

The  Night  Sun  does  not  care  if  men  see  that  he  rides 
in  a  canoe  like  an  Indian.  He  comes  from  the  White 
Land  in  the  east.  He  walks  over  the  Bridge  of  Stars, 
the  pathway  of  the  spirits.  The  Night  Sun  helps  the 
spirits  that  walk  on  this  path  to  the  happy  Summer 
Land.  He  does  much  good. 

The  Day  Sun  makes  the  corn  grow.  He  makes  all 
the  seeds  and  the  trees  grow  when  it  is  summer.  The 
Night  Sun  has  to  take  care  of  them  when  he  is  gone. 

The  Indians  dance  the  sun  dance  when  the  Night 
Sun  is  round  and  white.  He  looks  at  the  Indians  and 
tells  his  brother  of  the  dance.  The  Day  Sun  is  glad  to 
know  that  the  Indians  give  thanks  for  his  gifts  to  them. 


XVI.     OUSTER'S   HEART 

(DAKOTA,  1895) 

'HE    red  man  remembers   the  brave 
paleface  as  well  as  the  warrior  of 
his  own  race  and  color. 

The  wild  charge  of  Ouster  and  his 
men  and  their  utter  defeat  will  be 
often  told  and  retold  in  the  wigwams 
of  the  tribes  who  fought  him. 

The  Indians  claim  that  the  strange 
plant  that  is  now  found  on  the  Ouster  battle  ground 
has  been  created  by  some  spirit  which  knew  of  the 
mighty  courage  of  the  white  brave  with  yellow  hair. 

This  plant  is  called  Ouster's  Heart.  It  has  long, 
slender  leaves  curved  exactly  like  a  saber  ;  the  edges 
of  these  leaves  are  so  sharp  that  they  cut  the  hand  that 
attempts  to  tear  them  from  the  plant. 

If  you  touch  the  plant  you  will  feel  a  chill,  for  each 
leaf  is  cold.  The  blossoms  come  in  the  hot  summer 
days.  The  flowers  are  heart-shaped  and  yellow  as  gold, 
with  a  center  of  scarlet  that  looks  like  a  drop  of  blood. 
But  whoever  plucks  the  flower  must  hold  it  gently, 
for  if  it  should  be  crushed,  the  scarlet  stain,  the  Indians 
claim,  could  never  be  washed  away. 

270 


OUSTER'S    HEART  271 

It  may  be  that  this  flower  is  known  only  in  the 
dreams  of  Indian  braves,  but  the  new  legend  shows 
how  the  memory  of  the  brave  general  lives  in  the 
hearts  of  his  red  enemies.  It  shows  that  it  is  always 
in  the  heart  of  man  to  admire  the  brave  deeds  of 
another,  even  though  the  hero  is  an  enemy. 

This  story  tells  us  also  that  there  are  those  among 
the  red  men  who,  while  they  may  be  dressed  in  paint, 
buckskin,  and  blankets,  have  thoughts  like  those 
expressed  by  the  white  man's  poets, 


WORD   LIST 


KEY   TO    MARKS   OF    PRONUNCIATION 

a :  fate,  fat,  care,  arm,  all,  pass,  what. 

e  :  mete,  met,  where,  her,  they. 

i :  dine,  din. 

o :  note,  not,  for,  do,  son,  wolf. 

u :  tube,  tub,  turn,  rude,  push. 

oo  :  soon,  good. 

obscure  sounds :  a,  e,  i,  o,  u. 

c  unmarked  or  -e  as  in  -eau. 

s  unmarked  or  s  as  in  rose. 

Silent  letters  indicated  by  italics,  as  a  in  head. 


Az'te-e 

Ki  man'cliee 

Shin'ge  bis 

CftFl  for'm  a 

Ki'o  \va 

Ski  kel'ling 

Ca  non'i  -eus 

Kwa'smd 

Sqiian  'to 

Champlain 

Louisiana 

Ta  co'ma 

(sham  plan7) 

(loo'e  ze  a'na) 

Ta/il  e  qua/i' 

Ch6r  6  kee' 

Mds'sa  soit 

T  cha'ko  beech 

ChiViabos' 

M6n  do'ta 

Te  cum'seA 

Chok'an  I  pok 

Mi'an  to  no'moA 

Toon  kan' 

Del  'a  ware 

Mis  sa'ba 

Unk  ta'he 

Esh  kos'slm 

Na'na  bush 

U  sa'ma 

Flat'hgad 

Natch  '6z 

Wa  bose' 

G8n  e  see' 

Ne  ne  mo'shee 

Wah  be  g  wan  'nee 

I'e  tan 

On  on  da'ga 

Wa  pak'o 

K  a  bib  o  nok'ka 

0  pe'chee 

AVin  ni  wis'si 

Ke'neu 

Sam  '6  set 

Yan'na  liar 

Ke'wee  naw 

Seu'e,  ca 

Yu^'-ea 

Ki-eA;  a  poo' 

272 


GLOSSARY 

A  do'  be.  Sun-dried  brick  used  by  the  Indians  and  others  in  the  south 
western  part  of  the  United  States  in  the  making  of  walls  and  huts. 

Al  gon'  quin  (kin).  A  very  large  division  of  the  Xorth  American 
Indians,  including  Ojibways,  Delawares,  Pottawottomi,  Blackfeet, 
Xew  England  tribes,  and  some  other  branches.  They  were  the 
friends  of  the  French  in  the  early  colonial  wars,  and  often  the 
enemy  of  the  Iroquois. 

Am  pa'  ta.     The  name  of  a  squaw. 

A  pach'  e.  A  warlike  western  tribe,  related  to  the  Tennay.  Many  of 
the  Apaches  were  sent  to  a  reservation  in  Arizona  in  1874. 

Car  u  met.     French  name  for  pipe  of  peace. 

Car'  i  bpu.  American  woodland  reindeer,  the  flesh  of  which  is  excellent 
meat. 

Cayuga  (Ka  yii' ga).  "The  people  of  the  marsh";  a  tribe  which  once 
lived  at  the  foot  of  Cayuga  Lake,  X.  Y.  ;  they  are  now  living  upon 
reservations  in  Indian  Territory,  Wisconsin,  and  Ontario,  Can. 

Cayuse  (kiuse').  Indian  pony,  formerly  used  by  the  Cayuse  Indians 
of  the  northern  llocky  Mountains. 

Chaska  (Shas'ka).     First  son  of  a  Dakota  Indian. 

Chip'  pe  wa.     The  Ojibway  nation. 

Da  ko'  ta.  This  name  means  "  united."  The  Dakotas  were  strong  tribes 
and  were  called  The  Seven  Council  Fires.  Their  home  was  in 
Montana,  Xorth  and  South  Dakota,  Minnesota,  and  the  Xorth- 
west  Territory.  They  belong  to  the  Sioux  nation. 

Es  tu'  fa.  Spanish  name  for  the  kiva,  or  secret  room  ;  also  the  family 
room  in  Zuiii  houses. 

Gitch'  ee  Gu'  mee.     Indian  name  for  Lake  Superior,  the  Big  Sea  Water. 

Han  nan'  na.     The  dawn,  or  morning  light. 

Hi'  a  qua.      Siwash  shell  money,  made  of  tusk  shells  ;  not  wampum. 

Hiawath'a.  A  wonderful  personage,  still  much  honored  by  the 
Iroquois.  He  was  very  dignified,  very  wise,  and  believed  to  be 
more  than  mortal.  There  are  no  stories  of  his  childhood. 

273 


274  WIGWAM   STORIES 

Hi'  nun.     The  spirit  believed  by  the  Senecas  to  rule  the  clouds  and  air. 

I  a  goo.      The  boaster,  the  story-teller. 

Iroquois  (Ir'oquoy).  The  French  name  for  the  united  tribes  of  cen 
tral  New  York.  The  Iroquois  were  the  friends  of  the  English  in 
1775.  They  are  a  division  by  themselves,  akin  to  the  Sioux. 

Kacluge  (Ka  cloozh')."    The  Navajo  butterfly  spirit. 

Kai'  dan.     A  Canadian  tribe. 

Kiva  (kee'vah).  The  secret  room  or  sweat-house  of  the  Pueblos.  The 
priests  of  the  tribe  use  these  kivas  in  giving  instructions  in  the 
secret  rites  of  their  religious  orders  to  the  young  men  of  the  tribe. 

Lee!'  i  naw.  An  Indian  girl  who  became  a  tree,  according  to  a  Lake 
Superior  myth. 

Len  i  Len  napes'.  One  of  the  Algonquin  tribes.  They  were  called 
Loups,  or  Wolves,  by  the  French,  as  their  chief  totem  was  the 
wolf.  The  English  called  them  Delawares,  for  they  found  them 
near  the  Delaware  River.  Their  chiefs  were  celebrated  for  their 
wisdom.  Their  name  is  sometimes  spelled  Leni-Lenapes. 

Lodge.  An  English  name  for  a  wigwam,  teepee,  or  other  dwelling  built 
by  Indians. 

Mah'  to.     The  white  bear. 

Man'itou.  A  spirit,  whether  good  or  evil.  All  created  things  were 
once  believed  by  some  tribes  to  have  their  manitous  which  lived 
in  them.  The  Great  Manitou  ruled  over  all  of  them.  An  Algon 
quin  word  not  used  by  other  nations. 

Mechabo  (Me  sha'  bo).  Another  French  form  of  the  name  of  the  O jib- 
way  Foolish  One.  Also  spelled  Missaba,  Mesaba ;  and  there  are 
some  other  similar  forms.  The  Ojibways  also  give  him  a  name 
which  means  the  Great  Hare. 

Me  maing'  gwah.     The  butterfly. 

Men  a  bo'  zho.  The  French  form  of  the  name  of  the  Foolish  One  of 
the  Ojibways.  He  was  believed  to  be  the  creator  of  the  land  after 
the  deluge,  and  ruler  of  all  creatures  upon  it.  He  is  constantly 
doing  many  tricks  to  annoy  the  water  manitous,  who  annoy  him  in 
return.  The  land  creatures  often  attempt  to  outwit  him  ;  many 
humorous  stories  told  of  him  by  the  Ojibways  have  become  famous 
as  a  part  of  the  story  of  Hiawatha. 

Me'  sa.     Spanish  name  for  a  broad,  flat  river-terrace  or  tableland. 


GLOSSAEY  275 

Me  tik'  o  meesh.     The  oak  tree. 

Min  ne  ha'  ha  Falls.  A  cascade  sixty  feet  high  in  Minnehaha  Creek, 
near  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Mo'  hawks.  A  tribe  which  lived  in  northern  New  York.  Their  name 
is  derived  from  Mukwa,  meaning  "  bear."  They  were  the  first  tribe 
to  use  firearms. 

Moki  or  Moqui  (Mo'  kee).  A  tribe  of  the  Pueblos.  The  United  States 
government  has  recently  decided  to  use  the  form  Moki  instead  of 
Moqui.  Their  true  name  is  Hopitah,  or  People  of  Peace.  Many 
call  them  the  Hopi.  Moki  is  a  Navajo  word  of  reproach. 

Muk'  wa.     The  bear. 

Navajo  (Na'vaho).  Spanish  name  for  the  Tennay,  a  very  intelligent 
tribe  of  North  American  Indians  now  living  011  reservations  in 
Utah,  New  Mexico,  and  Arizona. 

Nib  a  nab'  as.     Little  water1  spirits-,  so  called  by  the  Chippewas. 

No  ko'  mis.     Chippewa  word,  meaning  "  grandmother." 

0  jib' ways.  The  Chippewa  Indians.  They  are  a  strong  tribe  of  the 
Algonquins,  who,  with  others,  have  been  driven  by  the  wars  with 
the  Iroquois  to  the  regions  about  Lake  Superior.  Many  live  on 
reservations  in  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin.  From  the  Ojibways 
and  other  Algonquin  tribes  the  whites  learned  to  make  maple 
sugar,  hominy,  and  corn  cake.  They  have  for  generations  raised 
corn,  beans,  and  pumpkins. 

Olla  (ol'  la  or  ol'ya).  Spanish  name  for  the  earthenware  water  jar 
commonly  used  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  United  States  by 
Indians  and  others  for  the  coaling  of  water. 

Oneidas  (0  nf  das).     One  tribe  of  the  Iroquois. 

Paw  nee'.  Indian  tribe  always  at  war  with  the  Sioux ;  now  living  in 
Indian  Territory. 

Pe  bo'  an.     The  manitou  of  winter. 

Pu  eb'  lo.     Spanish  name  for  village. 

Puk  wud  jin'  nies.     Fairies  in  the  woods. 

Sault  Ste.  Marie  (Soo'  sent  ma  ree').  French  name  for  the  river  which 
connects  Lake  Superior  and  Lake  Huron. 

Se'  gun.     The  manitou  of  summer  and  spring. 

Se-quoy'  ah.     Guesser,  a  famous  Cherokee  Indian. 

Shaw  on  da'  see.     The  south  wind. 


276  WIGWAM   STORIES 

Sioux  (Soo).  The  French  name  for  the  people  called  by  the  Algon- 
quins  nadiwe-ssiwag,  or  the  treacherous  ones,  from  their  manner 
of  \varfare.  The  Sioux  nation  comprised  the  Dakota  and  Assini- 
boin  tribes ;  those  Indians  living  in  the  middle  west  of  the  United 
States  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Mississippi  River ;  and 
also  many  tribes  in  Virginia,  Kentucky,  North  and  South  Carolina, 
and  Mississippi.  They  are  noted  for  bravery  and  intelligence. 

Si'  wash.      Sauraye.    Indians  living  near  Puget  Sound  and  northward. 

Sue'  co  tash.     Indian  corn  and  beans  cooked  in  one  dish. 

Ta  man'  ous.     Siwash  word  for  guardian  spirit. 

Tee'  pee.  Indian  circular  house  or  tent  made  of  poles  covered  with 
skins  or  cloth. 

Ten'  nay.     See  Apache  and  Navajo. 

Ti  6'  ta.     A  lake  in  central  New  York. 

Tom'  a  hawk.     An  Indian  battle  ax. 

Tus  ca  ro'  ras.  A  tribe  from  North  Carolina  which  joined  the  Iroquois 
in  1712.  They  now  live  upon  a  reservation  in  western  New 
York,  near  Niagara  Falls,  and  are  noted  for  their  fine  farms, 
schools,  and  churches. 

Wa  bas'  so.     The  Chippewa  word  for  rabbit. 

Wau  be'  se.     The  wild  swan. 

Wee'  di  goes.     Mythical  giants.     A  Chippewa  word. 

Wick'  i  up.  A  brushwood  tent-like  house  used  by  the  Apaches  and 
other  roving  tribes.  It  is  made  of  short  poles  or  brush  bent  over, 
fastened  together,  and  covered  hastily  with  skins,  blankets,  or  other 
covering.  It  is  never  carried  from  place  to  place  as  the  teepee  and 
wigwam  are  by  other  tribes. 

Wig'  warn.  A  circular  tent-like  house  made  of  birch  bark  or  other  bark 
by  the  New  England  tribes  and  others.  It  is  easily  rolled  and 
carried  from  place  to  place. 

Zuni  (Zoon'  ye).  A  semi-civilized  Pueblo  tribe,  perhaps  the  best  known 
of  any  of  the  Village  Indians  of  the  United  States.  They  have  a 
governor  and  lieutenant-governor  of  their  own;  good  laws,  good 
farms,  and  are  a  remarkable  people.  Very  few  of  them  can  under 
stand  English. 


PRONOUNCING  VOCABULARY 


OF  WORDS  NOT  FOUND  IN  THE  GLOSSARY 


A  ra7  bi  an 
Ar  i  zo7  na 
Az7  te-e 

Ca  non7  i  -eus 

Cham  plain  (sham  plan') 

Cher7  6  kee' 

Chib7  i  a'  bos 

Chok  an7  i  p6k 

Co  ro  na7  do 

Dah7  min 
Del'  a  ware 

Esh  kos7  sim 

Gen'  e  see' 

Goh  weh  (go7  way) 

I  e  tan7 

II  li  nois  (!1  li  noi7) 

Ka-an'-er-wah7 
Ka-bib'-on-ok'-ka 
Kan7  soo  kdo  tay'  pe 
Ka  wey  a  (ka  wi7  ya) 
Ke  neu  (ke  new7) 
Ke7  wee  naw 


K  haih  (k  hay7) 
Kick  a  poo7 
Kl  man7  chee 
Kwii7  sind 

Lou  is  i  a  na  (loo7  e  ze  a'  na) 

Man7  dan 

Mas7  StI  soit 

Mi  an7  to  no'  mah 

Mich  a  bo  (mish  a7  bo) 

Min7  go 

Mis7  sis  sipf  pi 

Mo7  hawk 

Mon  dah7  min 

Mo  rfi7  vl  an 

Na  me7  si  Sip'  u 
Na  nab7  ush 
Natch7  ez 
Ne  ne  mish7  ee 

Oh  weh  (o7  way) 

On  on  da  ga  (on  un  daw7  ga) 

O  pee7  chee 

On  she  ma'  da 

Os7  se  6 

O  way7  ne  6 


277 


278 


WIGWAM   STORIES 


Pa  poose' 
Par'  lia  ment 
P6nn  syl  va7  ni  a 
For7  -eu  pine 

Sam7  6  set 
Sem7 1  nole 
Sen7  e  -ea 
Shin7  ge  bis 
Ski  ka  (skee7  ka) 
Snell7  ing 
Su  pe7  ri  or 

Ta  -eo7  ma 
Tab7  le  quah 
T  cha7  ko  beech 


Te  -eum7  seh 
Tex7  as 

U  sii7  ma 
Unk  ta7  he 

Wah7  be  gwan'  nee 
Wah  kan7 
Wah  kan7  dee 
Wah  kan7  A  te 
Wah  kan7  e  on  ton'  ka 
Wa'  wa  tiiis7  sa 
We7  enk 
Win'  ni  wis7  si 
Wiin7  au  m6n 

Yu-e7  -ea 


KEY   TO   USE    OF   MARKS 

ate,  tare,  harm,  task,  call ;  eat,  send,  her ;  rice,  till ;  over,  or,  don  ;  Una, 
utter,  urge  ;  -e  as  in  can  ;  ch  as  in  chase  ;  g  as  in  get ;  sh  as  in  she  ;  th  as  in 
that ;  oi  as  in  oil ;  ow  as  in  now  ;  oo  as  in  cool ;  ee  as  in  feel. 


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